Powerless: A Tommy Oliver Novel
by TheOneRJS200
Summary: More than a year has passed since the events of "Passing the Torch." Tommy Oliver must now face facts: He's no longer a Power Ranger, no longer a hero. So what does a 19-year-old do AFTER he saves the world? And what does that same 19-year-old do when his college campus is attacked during Dark Specter and Astronema's full-scale invasion of Earth?
1. Chapter 1

_**NOVEMBER 2, 1998**_

 _ **COUNTDOWN: Four Days**_

It had taken Tommy a long time to get used to the quiet. In more ways than one.

Baldwin University, in the sleepy college town of Eagle Ridge, Massachusetts, was calm and still. Save for the sound of the trees rustling in the autumn breeze. The sun wouldn't even be up for more than an hour. Heading down the steps in front of the Marchand Residence Hall, he checked his watch. 4:58.

The literal silence wasn't nearly as trying as the mental silence. The simple presence of time with nothing to occupy it. Nothing of great consequence, anyway. Not like before.

In the last 15 months, Tommy had learned that certain consistencies and routines were good for him. College was advantageous in that sense. You had your classes every week, and you structured your meals around them accordingly. But there was also time to devote to homework, and time to devote to whatever hijinks his roommates would come up with.

Then there was training. Six days a week, 5 a.m. sharp, at the Baldwin University Rec Center. A convenient trot away from Marchand Hall.

The breeze pushed at Tommy's long hair, pulled back and under a bandana. He was wearing his usual black tank top, kick pants, and sneakers. Over his shoulder was a duffle bag, which always carried, among other things, his sparring shoes and whatever weapon he'd chose to work with that day. Today it was the shinai.

Martial arts. The one constant in Tommy's life since he was five years old (with the exception of a rough patch he'd had earlier this year).

As usual, the rec center doors were unlocked. When the semester started, the students working this early hadn't been used to someone actually being there at 5 on the dot every morning. There had been days he'd been shut out for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Now there was practically someone waiting for him at the front door each day.

Usually it was Abby.

She unlatched the door and pushed it open. Abby somehow always had a warm smile on her face despite the time of day. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was usually in a pony tail behind a headband. She was short, but with an athletic build. She wore a "Baldwin University Athletics" t-shirt and sweatpants.

"They should just leave this place unlocked for you," she said.

"And risk someone taking my workout spot?" He motioned through the ghost town of a weight room toward the dance rehearsal space. "No thanks."

Abby gave the joke more of a laugh than it deserved.

She was…pretty. Really pretty, actually. But in an understated sort of way. When Tommy saw her each morning, she wasn't dressed to impress. No make-up either. But whether it was her confidence, her personality, or just the fact that she seemed genuinely nice, she managed to shine every time he saw her. Abby didn't need to be touched up or fancy. She was Abby.

She motioned to his bag. "So today's a stick day, huh?"

Tommy saw that the shinai was poking at the bag at an awkward angle. "You know it."

"One day you'll have to tell me how you got so good at this karate stuff," Abby said, going back to the front desk.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Tommy muttered to himself, heading into the men's locker room.

 _ **15 MONTHS AGO**_

Laughter echoed throughout…wherever this place was. Based on the starry look of the walls around them, it actually could have been the remains of the old Command Center. That would have been fitting, all things considered.

Tommy watched them from a distance, atop one of the strange rock formations. They were clumped together in a group. Chatting, giving words of encouragement, offering farewells. Adam, Katherine, Tanya, Justin, the Alphas, and the new team. The Power Rangers.

Tommy rubbed his left wrist, which felt naked without the wrist communicator. He'd used the same one all these years. Various different colored wrist bands, of course. But the same device. TJ had it now. Tommy had handed it to him quickly.

Reality was starting to sink in, so he needed a moment to himself.

It was over. It was really and truly over.

Electricity crackled behind him. He turned to see a large but familiar face looking down at him. Until recently, Zordon had existed solely in a time warp. Now he was free to wander as an interdimensional being comprised largely of morphological energy. Tommy felt like he could make out a little more definition in Zordon's face now. Then again, maybe he was just imagining things.

"So this was really your idea, then?" Tommy asked.

"Yes," he replied in his booming baritone voice. "From the beginning."

Tommy nodded. It was consistent with some of Zordon's previous decisions. He'd let Jason and the others go. He'd let Aisha go. He'd let Rocky go. Now it was their time.

"With few exceptions, the power isn't meant to be held by an individual for such a prolonged period of time," Zordon continued. "It is meant to be passed on. The responsibility shared. We can only ask so much of you."

Tommy understood it. Even respected it. But that didn't make it easy.

"I can only ask so much," Zordon added.

Tommy had been a Power Ranger for more than four years. At 14, he'd gotten a front-row seat to the world being irrevocably changed. He'd seen things that defied the laws of human nature. Things modern science hadn't even touched. Things too spectacular, too horrific, and too ridiculous to be true. Alien life. The Morphing Grid. Sorcery. Mind control. Giant war machines. A centuries-old wizard caught in a time warp.

And that was just day one.

But Tommy loved it. He hadn't wanted to. He hadn't meant to. But he did. He didn't love the danger, the destruction, and certainly not the secrets. But somehow it all just fit. He was good at it. He took to it naturally. Like he'd found something he was meant to do from the start.

"Y'know, after all this time, I've never said thank you."

"For what?" Zordon asked.

He'd meant to say this to Zordon months ago, before he'd been freed from the time warp and journeyed back to Eltar. But Zordon had to leave so quickly that the moment never came.

"For trusting me," Tommy replied. He gestured out to everything around them. "With all of this. After everything that happened at the beginning. I almost tore it all down. But you brought me on. And you didn't even hesitate. Then you made me the leader. You didn't have to do that."

Zordon wasn't usually emotionally expressive, per se. There wasn't necessarily time to be, as he was constantly forced to endure the conflicts and hardships of the war he'd taken on. But when he did express something, it was a sign something special was taking place. Tommy had a fond memory of him chuckling when he returned as the White Ranger.

So when a smile spread across Zordon's face, Tommy felt a strong tug at his heartstrings.

"You were given only what you had earned," Zordon assured him. " As I said once before, you are a strong and courageous fighter, Tommy. And an honorable man. I am very proud of you. Of all of you."

Tommy felt his eyes well up. "I've been a Ranger for so long, Zordon. It's felt like my calling. Sometimes it feels like all I know how to do. So where do I go from here?"

"That is a question only you can answer," Zordon replied. "But I very much look forward to finding out."

"So does that mean we'll see you again someday?"

Tommy hadn't meant it to come out that abruptly. But with he and the others stepping down, and Zordon now on Eltar, it was a pertinent question. One that Zordon seemed to ponder himself.

"One can -"

"Tommy!" Justin, the young Blue Ranger, rushed to the bottom of the rock formation. "C'mon! We're going to show them how the zords work!"

Tommy had grown to love Justin like a little brother. But his sense of timing left something to be desired. "Sure, Justin. But Zordon and I were just-"

Energy crackled behind him once again, and Zordon had shifted back back to the spot on which he and Alpha 5 had transported in. He gently nodded to the robot, who promptly shuffled over.

"Go now then," he announced to the room. "New Rangers, destiny awaits. Look to one another for guidance in this new era. You need each other now, and the world needs you."

As Tommy came down off the rocks, he felt Katherine come up beside him. He wrapped his arm around the small of her back, as her head came down on his shoulder.

"And to the now former Rangers," Zordon continued. "May the power protect you, evermore."

With that, and a small wave from Alpha 5, they were gone in a flash of light.

"You too, old friend," Tommy whispered. "You too."

Tommy checked the clock. 7:30.

He'd gone into the dance studio at 5:07. It was the only space roomy enough to accommodate him. Every morning he began with 30 minutes of meditation. Then he'd run drills for 45 minutes, followed by 30 minutes with his weapon of choice for that day. He closed with 30 minutes of Tai chi to cool down. His first class was at 9. That gave him about 90 minutes to get home and showered.

He wiped his brow with a towel and tossed it in one of the bins. The rec center was fairly crowded now. He stood amongst a symphony of whirring tread mills, clanking weights, and moderately groggy conversation. "Intergalactic Planetary" was playing over the sound system.

Heading back up the stairs, he saw Abby at the front desk again. She met his gaze, then gave him a smile and a little wave.

Tommy felt his stomach flutter.

Soundtrack:

Intergalactic Planetary (Tommy at the Gym)

Eagle-Eye Cherry - "Save Tonight" (Passing the Torch)


	2. Chapter 2

_**NOVEMBER 2, 1998**_  
 _ **COUNTDOWN: Four Days**_

Tommy pushed his suite door open and immediately shielded his eyes. "Luke! C'mon, man! I thought we agreed!"

Luke Van Hagen had a good body. He took care of it well enough. But that didn't mean Tommy needed to see so much of it. Or in this case, all of it. Luke stood in the center of their suite holding a cell phone to his ear. He had bits of shaving cream all over, which meant he had been in the middle of one of his big grooming sessions. Tommy had wanted to shower. But suddenly he wasn't in a hurry to go in their shared bathroom.

Luke swatted the air at Tommy, then pointed to his phone.

"Naw baby," he said in his deep, often thunderous voice. With his free hand he rubbed the top of his shaved head. He had had a receding blonde hairline otherwise. "I ain't got no business at no Backstreet Boys show. But I'd go if you went!"

Averting his eyes, Tommy walked past Luke and unlocked his door. Their suite had three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a common room. Normally, each bedroom was meant to house two students. But at the moment, only Tommy and two other students occupied this suite. So each person had a bedroom to themselves.

Tommy had put his bed on the left side of the room. Where his roommate's bed would have gone, he'd brought a mat for meditation and stretching. They were on the seventh floor. So through the little window opposite the door, he could look out on to campus. With two closets to choose from, Tommy had dedicated one for street clothes, the other for martial arts gear.

Luke poked his head in. "Hey, did you see that girl again this morning?"

Pulling off his bandana, Tommy smiled. Luke was from Moline in Northeastern Illinois. But his accent sounded vaguely southern.

"Abby? Yeah, a little bit."

Luke pumped his fist and went back to his phone call. He was a ladies man. At least compared to Tommy. He'd been talking about a new girl since last week. Somebody he met in class.

"Tommy!" He jumped as a familiar voice exclaimed from his doorway. A lanky young man with dark curly hair and glasses gripped him by the shoulders. He wore a sweater vest over a white dress shirt and khakis. "You've got to come back with me!"

"Where?"

"Back to Angel Grove!"

Tommy rolled his eyes. Hard. "C'mon Percy, enough."

Percy Ziktor pulled a newspaper from under his arm and unfolded it, frantically tapping at a photo. "Look at this! The Mega Voyager! Destroyed over the desert! Parts raining down from the sky! They found its head, Tommy! Its head! I know they probably got all the wreckage. But maybe they didn't! If we comb the desert, who knows what we might dig up?"

To say the least, Percy was "enthusiastic" about the Power Rangers and everything associated with them. The creatures they fought, the technology they used, the zords, etc. When he wasn't in class, he spent most of his time in his room maintaining a website devoted to it all. Or on AOL Instant Messenger talking to other "fans" across the country.

Of all the people for Tommy to wind up rooming with.

He pulled the paper from Percy's hand and looked at it. It was that morning's edition of The Boston Globe. On the front page was indeed a Megazord (called the Mega Voyager, apparently). Or at least pieces of a Megazord in what appeared to be the desert just outside Angel Grove.

"I'm sure the Rangers can handle it just fine without you, Percy," he said. He swatted a nagging memory away.

Percy let out a little growl. "Don't you see? They've lost a Megazord! Maybe two! That means they're up against something big! The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get there to see it!"

"Leave him alone, Percy," Luke groaned from the common room.

Tommy put his hand on Percy's chest and began gently pushing him back out the door. "C'mon, man. I've got to change. Listen, if you want to visit Angel Grove, you can buy a plane ticket just as easily as I can."

"But you know the area!" he whined, stamping one of his expensive shoes. Percy was always dressed nicely. Raised in Worcester, he'd once said his mother always wanted he and his older sister to look nice. Yet he hadn't quite mastered how to present himself above the neck. His glasses were often crooked, and his hair had an almost greasy quality to it.

"You've seen attacks in person!" Percy continued. "You know all the pertinent locations! Together, we'd uncover a wealth of knowledge!"

"I really doubt there's much to find, Percy," Tommy replied, getting him through the door frame. "But you know what? If you ever get there, check the park. That was always a hot spot."

"Everybody knows that!" Percy bellowed as the door closed in front of him. Tommy dropped the newspaper in his trash bin and sat on his bed. There was a light thud on his door, which he realized was Percy's head.

"I just don't get you, Tommy. What is it with you and Angel Grove? You had a front row seat to history and you left during intermission! When you go home for Thanksgiving you're taking me with you!"

Tommy sighed and began changing for class, trying to keep his gaze averted from the newspaper in his trash.

Percy didn't know, of course. How could he?

Tommy Oliver wasn't going back to Angel Grove. Not for Thanksgiving break. Not for Christmas break. Not for the summer.

Not ever.

 _ **14 MONTHS AGO**_

The Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar was a ghost town.

Not just because it was empty and quiet. But because everywhere Tommy looked he saw ghosts. Memories. Flashbacks.

The gym mats were still out from the classes that night.

 _"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Angle Grove Martial Arts Expo!"_

The weight machines were against the wall, as always.

 _"I know you're the Green Ranger."_

The chairs in the cafe were all upturned on to their respective tables.

 _"Skull and I have decided to enroll in the Angel Grove Junior Police Patrol!"_

All the open space, used for everything from school dances to science fairs to martial arts classes.

 _"I knew I was leaving the Rangers in good hands, I mean, with you as their leader."_

The juice bar. Home of the Cake-O-Matic, baby food smoothies, and often good conversation.

 _"I'm new here, my car's broken down outside, and I really don't know what to do…"_

On some level, he hated it. Everything reminding him of what he wasn't anymore.

The bar stool echoed loudly across the floor. As he'd done many times before, Tommy took a seat at the counter. Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to be in here. But when he'd taught Youth Center classes, Ernie had trusted him with keys. Now a new owner was coming in, and Tommy figured it was time to bring them back.

It was more than that, though. he wanted to be here with her one last time.

Her shoes echoed in the vestibule behind him. Katherine Hillard walked in wearing jeans and a pastel pink sweater.

"Hi," she said faintly. As if someone were around to catch them.

"Hey." Tommy pulled out a stool for her, and they sat facing the Youth Center. "Got everything packed?"

"Yeah," she said with an obviously nervous nod. "The flight is- well, you know when the flight is."

"Right."

They didn't say anything for what felt like a long time, though it was probably only about 10 seconds.

"I'm proud of you, you know," Tommy said. "Really, I am. You moved to America and started all over, and now you're moving to London to start all over. It hurts, I know. But it's one of the bravest things I've ever seen."

"Coming from you that covers a lot of ground," Kat replied.

Back to silence. This was going to be every bit as hard as he thought.

"This doesn't have to be the end," Kat said, taking his hand. The words came out with both a hint of hope and a quiver of desperate sadness.

It hurt to have her hand in his. Before tonight, he could get through it by telling himself she wasn't gone yet. They still had tomorrow. But this was it. They'd run out of tomorrows.

"I don't want it to be," Tommy answered. "But we've got to be realistic. This is something you've worked really hard for, Kat. The Royal Dance Academy is a huge opportunity. You can't do this and not be all in. I can't be what ties you down. I won't be."

The Royal Dance Academy was indeed a huge opportunity. It was also in London.

In his peripheral vision, Tommy saw her blinking back tears. Unsuccessfully. She wiped at her them with her free hand.

"I'm not her." Kat was one of the most gentle and soft-spoken people Tommy had ever known. But there was as much vehemence and edge in her voice as he had ever heard. "I won't - I wouldn't do what she did to you."

Tommy pulled his hand from hers and stood up, walking a few paces. He wanted to cry too. Because she'd hit it on the head. It was happening again. He'd let someone in, and she was leaving. It had happened even quicker this time, and Kat was moving even farther.

He'd lost his powers. Lost his purpose. And now, once again, he was losing the girl he loved. It was all happening so fast.

This wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

He turned to face her again. "Stop comparing yourself to her. You don't have to measure up to anyone. You never did. Not as a Ranger, not as a dancer, and definitely not to me."

Tommy took her hand back. "There's nobody I know who gives more than you do. To everyone. You lifted me up when I needed it. You brought Tanya into your home when she had no one. As a Ranger, you'd have laid down your life to save any one person who needed you."

Tommy felt a knot forming in his stomach.

"But this…this is about you. This is yours. You don't have to give this away. You earned it."

Then she was in his arms, squeezing him tightly and gently crying into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Kat whispered. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know," he cut her off. It took almost everything he had to keep himself together. "It's okay."

Kat pulled back, her hands on his shoulders. "You don't have to be a hero, either. But you are. And deep down, one way or another, I know you always will be. It's who you are."

Then she kissed him on the cheek and was gone. Tommy stayed there by himself for a long while. He walked. Back and forth through the ghost town.

 _"The Power Rangers are here! I can feel their vibration!"_

 _"Gung Ho. It's Chinese for working together."_

 _"Everyone, I'd like to introduce my brother. This is David Trueheart."_

Amidst the swirling memories, Tommy spotted something small on the counter that hadn't been there before. A key. Katherine's Youth Center key. It matched the one he had, which he maneuvered off his key ring and set down next to hers.

She was wrong. He wasn't a hero. Not anymore.

Tommy took one last walk across the Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar before leaving through the back door, shutting the lights off behind him.

Soundtrack  
The Offspring - "Pretty Fly For A White Guy" (Luke)  
Billie Myers - "Kiss the Rain" (Tommy and Kat)


	3. Chapter 3

_**NOVEMBER 3, 1998**_  
 _ **COUNTDOWN: Three days**_

Tommy heard the music when he stepped off the elevator and on to the seventh floor. He didn't know the song, but he recognized Marilyn Manson. If their R.A. didn't have an early class, Tommy would have undoubtedly found him banging on the door. By now, the poor guy had a saying: "It's _always_ room 7C."

When the door opened, Tommy was greeted by the sight of a girl laying across their couch with her nose in a book. Luke's stereo was throbbing with angry guitar riffs, and Manson was screaming about rock being dead. Tommy waved his arms in the air to get her attention, with no luck. He trotted over to their stereo and killed the music.

The girl glared up at him. She was younger than Tommy by about two years. She wore lipstick and eyeliner that were the same shade of black. A stark contrast to her fair complexion. Her short hair was dyed pink, and with the top gelled upward to look like a mohawk. She wore a Deftones t-shirt, a red plaid skirt with fishnet stockings, and black leather boots.

"Dana, c'mon. What the heck?" Tommy moaned. "We don't need another noise complaint."

She rolled her eyes. "Who are you, the dad from Footloose or something?"

"No, I'm the guy that's running out of excuses to give the R.A."

Just then, Percy peered out from behind his door. "Is it over?"

Tommy couldn't see the look Dana gave Percy, but he quickly ducked back into his room.

"The music helps me concentrate, Tommy," she cranked, holding up her book. "Unless you want to do my Kinesiology homework for me?"

In his mind, Tommy cringed. He wasn't even sure he could spell kinesiology. At only 16, Dana Mitchell was already one of the smartest people Tommy had ever met. She wasn't quite at Billy's level, but that wasn't even a fair comparison. Billy had been a child science prodigy, with a mind seemingly sculpted to absorb and apply knowledge. As Dana told it, she'd spent most of her childhood wanting to become a doctor. Apparently, once she'd learned to read she began devouring books on the human body. Since meeting her at the beginning of the semester, Tommy had naturally been curious about what had made her so driven.

But Dana wasn't a conversationalist.

He sighed. "C'mon, kiddo. Don't make me the bad guy, here."

Dana's eyes popped into saucers. She shoved herself off the couch and marched around into Tommy's face. It was just before she shoved him in the chest that he realized what had set her off.

"Kiddo? Seriously? Kiddo?!" she bellowed. "Just because you think you're a damn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, that doesn't give you the right to patronize me! Or anybody! How about we compare S.A.T. scores, Fabio?!"

Tommy put his hands up. "Whoa, whoa! Alright. I'm sorry, Dana. It slipped. I didn't mean it."

He was telling the truth. Tommy hadn't meant anything by it. He'd called so many of his students "kiddo" over the years, it had just come out.

It was often easy to forget how much younger Dana was than he, Luke, and Percy. She was having more trouble adjusting to college life than she let on. So she spent a lot of time around Luke. Apparently the Van Hagens and the Mitchells went back a long way, and Dana was like a sister to him. Ergo, Dana followed him to Baldwin. Luke had told Tommy something about her wanting to get away from her father, who had some kind of government job.

Given his dating habits (if you could even call it "dating."), at first Tommy had trouble picturing Luke with a surrogate sister. But as the semester rolled on, he'd become convinced. Luke was protective of her in a way he wasn't with anyone else. At least not that Tommy had seen.

Rolling her eyes, Dana picked up her book and went into Luke's room. She slammed the door behind her.

Neither he, nor any of his friends, had been like this at 16. Had they…?

Either way, none of them had gone to college so early. Heck, Tommy had essentially started a year late. So it was hard to judge Dana in that respect.

Percy peeked out again. "Is she gone?"

Tommy jutted his head toward Luke's room. While he could be dramatic in his own right, Percy had come to Baldwin woefully unequipped to hang out with a 16-year-old stressed pre-med student.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Percy opened his door and made for the bathroom.

This, the whole dynamic between Percy, Luke, and even Dana, was all so different than his life in Angel Grove. That made things difficult at times. Tommy was navigating new ground.

But it was better this way. He knew that.

"The Ninja Turtles are real, by the way," Percy said, walking back to his room after a flush. "There are pictures. I'll email them to you."

***

 _ **11 Months Ago**_

They wrapped each other in a hug, her leather jacket squeaking lightly around her. It had been awhile. She'd come home for Thanksgiving, but only for a day or so. During the summer, she'd worked for a local radio station in Angel Grove. They'd put her into contact with another station near her school over in Fullerton, and she'd been picking up hours over there. She was barely getting paid, and it was almost entirely busy work. But it was something for her resume. What's more, she liked it. So she was spending as much time at the station as she could. She'd found something new, and she'd grabbed hold of it tightly. Tommy respected that. He was jealous, actually.

"Hi Tommy," she said with a grin. Her teeth were almost impossibly white.

"Hi Tanya."

Then she hugged Adam, of course. She and Adam were much better at keeping in touch, as they'd always been close. They always maintained it wasn't romantic. Adam and Tanya had just clicked that way.

Tanya swung her bag into the chair beside her. The Angel Grove Public Library was fairly busy. Almost all the tables around them were occupied. Finals season was in full swing. Tommy knew that all too well. His Earth Science books were spread out over a good portion of their table, with Adam's Intro to Human Biology notes occupying a fair portion themselves. Daylight shone down on the room from the skylight above, the sky draped in clouds of gray.

She apologized hastily. "The highway was jammed, then Ma and Daddy had to talk. You know they can talk."

Adam chuckled. "They're still making up for lost time."

"Was it I-5?" Tommy asked, referring to the interstate he and Adam used to commute to Silver Hills University.

Tanya draped her jacket over the back of her chair. She wore a floral pattern blouse and jeans, a stark contrast to the kick pants and tank tops Tommy and Adam were in. Adam let his long, curly hair hang down. "Yeah. Messed up. You guys just come from a work-out or something?"

"We don't work out," Adam deadpanned. Then he gave her a wink. "That's not who we are anymore."

Her pearly whites gleamed again. "How's the ol' Juice Bar looking these days, anyway? That new owner take over yet?"

Adam explained that the Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar had become the Angel Grove Surf Spot, which was strictly a local youth hangout. The layout was apparently similar, with a few fresh paint jobs and a bunch of surfing stuff on the walls. Tommy didn't know for sure. He hadn't actually been inside. As for he and Adam, they weren't training together nearly as much. Adam worked out at SHU quite a bit, and once in awhile Tommy would swing by with him.

Once, they tried setting up somewhere in Angel Grove Park. That didn't go well. Too many…distractions.

 _"Look out! Putties!"_

 _"Kimberly, will you be my date to the dance Saturday night?"_

 _"Sorry, Rita! Playtime's over!"_

Angel Grove was different now. Uncomfortable. As such, Tommy was usually trying to keep busy elsewhere.

When he was in Angel Grove, and there'd be a "disturbance" (what local officials had come to call monster attacks) in the park, the city, or wherever, Tommy would usually be at home. Away from the chaos. Or here at the library. Indeed, he'd suddenly become quite fond of the Angel Grove Public Library. He had hardly any Ranger memories here. Putties, Tengas, and Cogs weren't too fond of reading, after all.

"I can't believe we've got you back for a full weekend," Adam said. "Did Eric kick you out or something?"

Tommy frowned, and Tanya mentioned Eric was her supervisor up a the station. "I've just got too much to catch up on. Adam, you're going to need to talk me through math again. After we hung up the other night I got stuck again."

As the afternoon went on, Tommy realized that Adam and Tanya had been talking on the phone at least once a week. That realization came with a wave of guilt. He and Tanya hadn't talked at all since she left for Fullerton. Nor Rocky since he left for school. His entire social circle had shrunken to just his brother David, and then Adam.

"So did you ever declare a major, Tommy?" Tanya asked, scribbling in a notebook with a pencil.

"Not yet," he replied. "I might be zeroing in on something, though."

Adam gave him a surprised look. "You never told me that."

"It's just a thought," he said, and then held up his science book. "I'm actually really enjoying my science class. So I've talked to my teacher about being some kind of physical science major. Geology, oceanography, something like that."

"What happened to a teaching degree?" Adam asked. "You always said you really enjoyed working with students."

"A dojo is different than a classroom, man. I don't know if I'd be anywhere near as effective teaching English or math."

The three of them jolted a bit as a young teenager, probably a high school freshman, rushed by their table toward the lobby. Tanya then tapped his history book with her pencil. "What about science? Couldn't you be a science teacher?"

Tommy shrugged. "I dunno. It's just an idea.

A woman's voice called out something indistinctive from the lobby, grabbing the room's attention. She was definitely alarmed. The three of them exchanged looks.

Adam pushed himself out from the table. "What the heck? That's not exactly a library voice."

"Where are you going?" Tanya asked.

Adam held up a pencil and tapped the sharp end, indicating it had dulled. He was using it as an excuse to go look. Tommy went back to his science book as Adam walked off.

Tanya reached across the table and touched his forearm. "Hey. Listen. You doing alright?"

He noticed that some of the people around them were now walking toward the lobby as well. "Uh, yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Why?"

She wasn't convinced. "Just checking in, I guess. Some of us worry about you."

Tommy looked down at his notebook, pretending to jot something down. "Some of us?"

"Yeah. Some of us."

"You can say her name, Tanya," he finally said. "It's okay."

She let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry. Kat just said you were acting different. Not just when she left. Before that. Like the whole change was affecting you a lot."

Tommy looked up at Tanya.

"What do you think?"

Tanya didn't break her gaze. But there was a sadness in her face that Tommy found oddly jarring.

"I don't know."

"Everyone!" A middle-aged woman was pacing into the study area. Behind her were several of the students that had gone into the lobby. "There's a disturbance happening outside. You folks all know the protocol by now! So everyone just stay inside. If we have to, we'll all move down to the lower levels. We'll keep you updated on when it passes."

The room was buzzing. In Angel Grove, this sort of thing had become commonplace. When there was an attack, you stayed inside. If the threat escalated, you took cover as if a big storm was coming. But you never got comfortable with being in danger like that. As for Tommy, this was the closest he'd been to an attack since surrendering his powers.

He felt his body go to a familiar place. A place he'd been trying to avoid for months now.

Adam sat back down beside them.

"What's going on out there?" Tommy whispered, as Tanya leaned in.

He could tell Adam was trying not to look nervous. "I couldn't see that clearly. They were these robot looking things. Silver. Big eyes."

"Quantrons," Tommy blurted out.

Adam and Tanya shot him the same expression.

"What?" he said. "It was in the paper!" By now, _The Angel Grove Chronicle_ had a section fully devoted to assorted Power Rangers-related phenomenon. Tommy had been avoiding it like the plague. But his dad had left it open on the kitchen table a few weeks ago. NASADA had put out a statement about new threats. Among them were the Quantrons, cybernetic foot soldiers working for…someone. Probably not Divatox, he had surmised. Robots weren't her M.O. At least they hadn't been when he was a Ranger.

Tommy began to pack his books away. "C'mon guys," he whispered. "We've got to be ready to get these people downstairs."

"What are you doing?" Tanya whispered back with a mix of alarm and confusion.

His bag whirred as he zipped it shut. "Just be ready to react if we have to."

She shook her head. "Tommy, this isn't like-"

"I know," he cut her off. "But that doesn't mean we can't help if we're needed."

Tanya looked at Adam uneasily. Adam nodded to her. The two of them began packing up, as Tommy surveyed the room. He did a quick headcount, found the closest exits, as well as the nearest stairwell. Whatever these robots were, if they got in, they needed to be prepared to move these people in the opposite direction.

Then the skylight shattered.

Glass rained down on the room. They quickly ducked underneath the table, hearing shards strike wood and carpet around them. Then there was a crash, and several screams. Tommy whirled upward.

About 20 feet away, laying in what remained of one of the small wooden tables, was a Red Power Ranger. But not the Red Turbo Ranger. The helmet had a wide visor, above which was a black dome. The mouthpiece was smooth. Across the torso was a white stripe with five multicolored squares inside. Next to his right hand was a spiral-shaped baton. Or perhaps a sword?

Then they came. Five of them, through the broken skylight. Quantrons. They matched Adam's description. They wore bulky metallic armor, with dark large insect-like eyes. They seemed to communicate through a strange synthesized audio feedback. One of them wielded a bulky double-bladed staff. For a split second they seemed to scan the room before they descended on the fallen Red Ranger.

Tommy reached back and grabbed Adam by the shirt. "You and Tanya get everyone away from here, right now!"

He thought he heard Adam say, "What about you?" But by that point he'd taken off. The Quantrons had pulled the Red Ranger upward, and one appeared to be ready to run him through with its bladed staff. Tommy waist-locked the first one in his path, pulling him to the ground. An assortment of those big eyes locked on to him, as Tommy shot a kick into the torso of the nearest one, knocking it off its feet. He reverse somersaulted to his feet, his metallic opponents bewildered by their new attacker.

Neutralize the weapon. He didn't even need to tell himself. It was ingrained in him. Around them, Adam and Tanya were indeed clearing the area. Good. More room to move.

The Quantrons were spreading out when one suddenly rushed him. Tommy caught it with a judo throw, and then caught another off at the pass with a stiff kick, knocking it backward. He ducked just in time to avoid a swipe from the blade. Tommy heard the Quantron's right shoulder creak as he twisted it backward. With the grip on the blade loosened, Tommy ripped it from the robot's hand, and with a single swing he promptly took the head off its former owner.

It was a bulky and awkward weapon. But Tommy used it to keep the remaining four robots at bay. There was a loud clang as his foot collided with another robot's head via a spin kick. Sparks erupted from its neck as it crashed to the ground.

Then they were behind him. More of them. They'd come from the front entrance. Tommy thrust at one with the staff, a sharp metal screeching sound piercing the air. He swung back at another, catching it in what would have been a person's clavicle. When he tried to pull the weapon back, it was jammed in the Quantron's metal body. Tommy leapt and kicked the cybernetic deformity into two of its partners before springing atop one of the library tables. Using the table for elevation, Tommy connected with a jumping scissors kick taking two attackers down.

But then a pair of metallic arms wrapped around him from behind. The air rushed out of Tommy as he was yanked up off the ground. He fought against the grip, and even managing to connect a few kicks to approaching attackers. But there were simply too many. Tommy was thrown face-down on the floor. He was then pulled up by both arms and thrown through the air. He collided back-first into a bookshelf, which proceeded to topple over. A domino effect caused numerous other shelves to fall, creating a dusty haze.

His back in intense pain, Tommy once again felt himself hauled up to his feet by two of the Quantrons. He saw at least a dozen around him now, speaking their strange mechanical language. Dust itched at his lungs as he took blows to the face, chest, and ribs. Another bladed staff came into his field of vision, and Tommy quickly realized he was being set up for the same fate as the fallen Red Ranger. He let out a defiant growl.

Suddenly, series of yellow energy blasts struck near the robots' knees, sending half the group tumbling to the ground. Tommy used the distraction to propel himself up and backward, breaking his captors' grip. Before they could strike, he smashed their heads together. Both crumpled with fresh cracks in their mechanical eyes.

Catching his breath, Tommy went down to one knee and saw who had saved him. A Yellow Ranger and a Blue Ranger had now joined the battle. Their uniforms matched their red comrade's. The former wielded what appeared to be a space-age slingshot of sorts, while the latter had a small axe. The Yellow Ranger was checking on her teammate, raining sporadic blasts on the Quantrons.

"Andros!" she shouted. "Andros, you've got to get up!"

That voice was familiar. Rookie mistake, Ashley. Don't use his real name where civilians might hear.

His mind flooded with questions. Who was Andros? Had something happened to TJ? Tommy had trusted TJ to lead-

The wall burst open. What walked through the broken bricks and rubble was nearly the size of a tank. It had the same basic look as the other robots. But in addition to being so much bulkier, this one was entirely black, and the eyes were metallic silver.

Over the commotion, Tommy distinctly heard the Blue Ranger shout, "The Q-1000 is here! Guys, we need back-up!"

There he was. That was TJ.

There was a loud explosion at the Q-1000's back, and the humongous monstrosity stumbled forward. The Blue Ranger was there to meet it, slashing toward its eyes with the axe. The shot connected, but with a price. Q-1000 reached up and caught the Ranger by the leg. With one swing, the robot created another hole in the wall with TJ's body.

Red and Yellow were now back in the fight, peppering Q-1000 with laser blasts. The building shook as the hulking mass of metal took two steps forward. Tommy's thoughts instantly turned to Adam, Tanya, and the people downstairs.

Tommy pushed himself up and began to shout. "Hey! There are people downstairs! Get that thing back outside!"

His voice was easily drowned out by the laser-fire and commotion. Andros ignited his spiral weapon and shot a red beam of energy directly into the chest of Q-1000. The blast pushed it toward the lobby. Its thunderous footsteps now creating cracks in the floor.

Clutching his ribs, Tommy hobbled toward the Red Ranger, catching him by the shoulder.

"You need to get it-"

The Red Ranger shrugged his shoulder and promptly pushed Tommy backward. "Get behind me! Now!"

"There are people downstairs!" he bellowed. "It came in here looking for you! Direct it back-"

"Sir! If you don't get back now you're going to get hurt!"

Tommy's blood boiled. His retort was cut off when a terrifying sound began emitting from Q-1000. The robot's eyes glowed a deep red.

"We need you in position now!" Andros desperately called into the top of his wrist. It was a gesture that even in this moment, Tommy recognized.

A female voice said something back that sounded like "fire," and a blaze of pink and red energy erupted. In recalling the event later, Tommy would realize that someone, most likely a Pink Ranger, had blasted the robot from behind. The resulting concussion had thrown off its aim, sending the red blast up toward the ceiling.

"Get down!" Tommy exclaimed, tackling the Red Ranger down under a partially fallen bookshelf. The two of them lay there as the building came down around them.

Soundtrack:  
Marilyn Manson - "Rock is Dead" (Dana)  
Metallica - "The Memory Remains" (Library Fight)


	4. Chapter 4

_**NOVEMBER 4, 1998**_

 _ **COUNTDOWN: Two Days**_

"What is that?" Luke whispered, looking into one of the metal containers behind the glass.

"Tilapia," Tommy answered.

"What's tilapia?"

"Fish."

"I thought that was tapioca."

"Also fish."

Taking one more look, Luke grimaced. "That don't look like fish to me."

The line inched forward. The food they served in Marchand Hall was standard cafeteria stuff. As such, Tommy knew fish was a risky choice. It certainly wasn't going to make his tastebuds dance. But when he'd started at Baldwin, he'd made a commitment to get back in shape. That meant throwing himself back into training. It also meant, with rare exceptions, no cafeteria burgers, no late night cheese sticks from Gumbee's, and no cheap beer at whatever house parties Luke dragged him to. Not that he was really a drinker anyway.

Tommy had nothing to train for, really. But he had been a martial artist nearly his entire life. He wouldn't call them his mental "safe place." But they were still there for him. He didn't have to give them back to anyone. There was a lot of comfort in that.

He was also starting to find an enjoyment in them that he hadn't had in a long time. Training for yourself was very different than training for a fight, or an ongoing endeavor. He knew that better than most.

Tommy wound up taking some of the suspicious fish, along with some mashed potatoes, peas, and jello. Luke opted for the same, with the exception of the fish. The two of them walked out to the seating area to rejoin Percy.

She walked into his field of vision without warning. They made eye contact immediately, so it wasn't like he could drum up something witty while pretending he didn't see her. Ready or not, this was happening.

Abby gave him a pleasant smile. "Oh, hey Tommy!"

"Hey," he answered, maybe taking a second too long to get it out. "I didn't know you lived in Marchand."

She shook her head, her blonde pony tail flopping a bit behind the headband. She wasn't in sweatpants this time. Jeans and a maroon sweater. Tommy also noticed a pendant shaped like an elephant.

"I don't, actually," Abby said, pointing to a girl Tommy just now noticed was next to her. "I'm just here with a friend."

He nodded. Then a moment passed. An excruciating moment. A moment when the gears in Tommy's head spun frantically.

 _What to say…?_

 _Just say something!_

 _Say ANYTHING!"_

"Careful with the fish," he said. "It's a little weird looking."

Abby gave him a little grin as she moved to follow her friend. "Thanks. I'll keep a look out."

The walk back to the table seemed a LOT longer than it really was.

"Careful with the fish?" Luke repeated as they sat down next to Percy. "What does that mean?"

"I have no idea," he mumbled, his head drooped. Luke recounted to Percy what had just happened.

"Does she have a thing with fish?" Percy asked. "Is she a fish lady? Like a lady Goo Fish?"

"What? No!" Tommy insisted. "I got the fish! We'd been talking about fish! It just popped in my mind!"

Luke ignored him. "That was her, wasn't it? The girl from the gym. What's was her name? Annie?"

"Abby. Yeah, I see her a lot."

"You still want to ask her out?"

Tommy picked at his food with the plastic spork they'd given him. "That's not a good idea, man."

"Why?" Luke asked. "You're unattached, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Definitely unattached."

"So what's the big deal?"

He mindlessly combed his mashed potatoes. "It's not a good idea. She doesn't want to go out with me."

Luke rolled his eyes. "What the hell, man…?"

"Ludicrous," Percy chimed in.

Tommy looked at Percy. "What?"

"Firstly," Percy replied, chewing on some peas. "Guys like you don't even need to try, Tommy. You've got those muscles and that long hair. You're like young Fabio!"

"I am _not_ young Fabio!" Tommy shot back, hearing the echo of Dana's remark. "Why does everyone think I'm Fabio?"

Percy continued. "You're a bona fide martial arts aficionado! You spend all that time at the gym Ladies love that! If you ask her out, she's going to say yes!"

Luke frowned. "Pers, have you been holdin' out on us? Are you a ladies man?"

Percy shrugged. "I'm talking to, like, three separate girls on AIM right now. Four, until a few days ago. But she was a dummy. She _insisted_ Rita Repulsa has had the same face this entire time. I mean, are you kidding me? She basically changed races!"

Tommy peered around and spotted Abby and her friend walking to a table on the other side of the room. She had…really nice skin, he decided. Tanned, but not too tanned, like in that LA. She also knew how to fill out a pair of jeans. That didn't hurt either.

"She's just a girl, dude," Luke said. "You're the one making it weird."

They moved on. Luke started talking about his new girl, but Percy wanted to change the subject to something about a giant pizza. Tommy's eyes followed Abby until she sat down, then retreated to the safety of the suspicious fish.

They were right about one thing. Abby wasn't the problem. He was…

 _ **11 Months Ago**_

It was like a knawing itch in his brain. One Tommy couldn't relieve no matter how hard he tried. He felt it everywhere. But it was always worst here. In Angel Grove. Home.

Tommy sat at a park bench that had once been near the door to the Angel Grove Public Library. Somehow it had survived all the chaos of a week ago. So they'd moved it out into the grass under a tree. It had a weird discoloration on it. Probably a combination of dust, grime, and whatever else had burst into the air that day.

They'd gotten lucky. In the days following the battle at the library, fire and rescue personnel had combed through the rubble and discovered no casualties. A few trips to the hospital, but nothing overly serious. Most everyone inside had already evacuated when the ceiling came down. Adam and Tanya had led just over a dozen bystanders to safety on the lower level, all of whom were subsequently trapped down there when the debris fell. It had taken several hours to dig a way out for them. With assistance from the Power Rangers, of course.

To say the wreckage had been "cleaned up" would have been a overstatement. More like pushed into a giant heaping pile atop the land that once housed the library. The city had done its best to keep everything contained. If you looked hard enough, though, you could find traces of it in the surrounding area. Little bits of rubble in the grass. Scraps of yellowed paper that had been swept up and carried away by the breeze.

Tommy knew calling TJ would stir up everything eating at him. It would get worse before it got better. The truth of it was that Tommy didn't know TJ very well. But he'd seen something in him. Something familiar. He hadn't been altogether comfortable passing the power along. But TJ hadn't been the problem. They'd had very little contact since that day. Though several months ago he had spotted TJ in, of all places, a video store. But he'd been with his mother. Assuming the rules for being a Power Ranger hadn't changed, he could hardly walk up to him and ask how things with Divatox were going. It would also raise the question of how they knew each other. At that time, TJ's family had just moved to Angel Grove, and Tommy had obviously graduated.

So he'd waved. And TJ had waved back. That was it.

If he could just tell him. Make him see that a mistake had been made. Then everything would be set right.

There was an eerie quiet in the air. Normally, you'd always hear kids outside this library. Parents talking about whatever parents talk about. High schoolers gossiping. But not today.

"Tommy?"

He turned around to see TJ approaching in a simple blue t-shirt and jeans. But walking next to him was someone Tommy didn't recognize. He had shoulder-length hair not unlike Tommy's, except his had blonde streaks. He wore jeans with a black t-shirt and a red button-up over it. As they got closer, Tommy noticed the button-up still had a "Medium" sticker on the right breast.

TJ shook his hand. "Hey Tommy. How you doing?"

"I'm alright, man. Thanks for coming." Tommy looked at the stranger and held his hand out again. "Hi, I don't think we've-"

"Andros," he said, lightly clutching Tommy's hand for half a second before sitting on the other side of the table. This was the Red Ranger he'd seen at the library. Saved, possibly. Apparently, he wasn't getting a thank you.

TJ put his hand on Tommy's shoulder, then sat next to Andros. "Hope you don't mind. Andros wanted to come along. He's heard a little about you."

Andros' face was nearly expressionless, his gaze fixed on Tommy.

TJ looked back at the wreckage. "Horrible what happened here. Just horrible."

Tommy nodded. Certainly there were other, more pleasant spots they could have met. But this somehow felt apropos. "Everyone was alright afterward? On your team, I mean?"

"We were pretty shaken up," TJ replied. He looked knowingly at Andros. "But we've been shaken up before."

"I bet. What was that big thing, anyway?"

"A Q-1000. Essentially it's a Quantron. But bigger, stronger, and obviously more destructive. We don't know how many Astronema has. Hopefully we can stop her before she makes anymore."

Tommy's brow furrowed. "Astronema?"

"A new crazy lady trying to blow up the world," he replied. "Divatox was re-assigned. That's the word they used, too. Like they all work in a big office or something."

A whirlwind of questions blew through Tommy's mind.

 _Reassigned? How do you know that?_

 _Who reassigned her? And why?_

 _Who is this Astronema, and what kind of arsenal does she have at her disposal?_

But he held back. Best not to be pushy, given what he was about to ask. He'd get his answers in time.

"Well, you guys definitely look well equipped," Tommy said. He looked at Andros, who remained silent. "She doesn't stand a chance."

"I hope you're right," TJ replied. "For the record, I'm sorry you and the others got mixed up in this the way you did. You've obviously earned some peace and quiet."

Tommy gave him a half-smile. "In this town? Yeah right. Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about."

He'd rehearsed this first part in his head several times. But of course, doing it in your head and doing it in here were very different. This made it all real.

"I'm wondering what you guys would think about adding a sixth Ranger to your team."

Reading TJ's expression was tough. There was confusion. There was intrigue. But something else as well. Something Tommy couldn't quite make out.

"I don't understand," he said. "You retired. You gave up your powers. Why would you want to come back all of a sudden?"

"I didn't retire," Tommy replied. "Not really. None of us did. We were told we were done. That it was a condition Zordon had left with Dimitria. But as much as I love and respect him, Zordon's decision makes no sense. You, Cassie, and the others were all great choices. And I'm sure you're great Rangers. But why retire four veterans like that? We all could have given so much more. We still can."

He could tell TJ was subtlety squirming. A reaction Tommy had expected. At least initially. Andros kept his eyes on him.

"Zordon only told us bits and pieces about the United Alliance of Evil," Tommy continued. "But when we left, they were getting closer to becoming a unified threat to our world. Divatox. The Machine Empire. Rita and Zedd. Now this Astronema. If they really are coming, then you guys need all the help you can get."

Tommy motioned toward the remains of the library. "What happened here is proof. Like you said, who knows how many of those Q-1000 robots she has. I can help. I want to help."

"How?" TJ asked after struggling to find his words for a moment. "The Turbo powers are gone. And there is no sixth Space Ranger. How would you morph? What would you morph into?"

He had thought about this part too. "I've got a theory. The Zeo Crystal-"

"Who do you think you are?"

Their eyes moved to Andros, whose gaze at Tommy had hardened. His question hung in the air.

"What?" Tommy asked.

Andros leaned forward and repeated himself. "Who. Do you think. You are?"

TJ put his hand up. "Andros, let's-"

"No." There was no room for doubt in his voice. "The answer is no."

Tommy felt his guard rising. "You haven't even-"

"Listen to me," Andros cut him off. "I have respect for you and what you did here on Earth. I respect that Zordon saw something in you. I respect that you defended this planet against a variety of enemies for a number of years. Given all that, I'd expect more from you than this."

Andros stood up. "You know this isn't how it works. You don't invite yourself on to someone else's team even if your intentions are good. And yours aren't."

Tommy stood and met Andros eye-to-eye. "Excuse me?"

Andros pointed at the library. "You didn't cause this. But you were a contributor to it."

TJ was in between them now. "Come on, guys. Not so loud…"

"What are you talking about?" Tommy demanded.

"Getting those people to safety? That was the right thing to do. Using your talents to fight off the Quantrons? Sure. Fine. But when that robot broke through the wall and you put your hands on me, you crossed a line. Our attention should have been entirely on the threat in front of us. But you were shouting about what we should and shouldn't be doing! Then you grabbed me when the ceiling came down!"

"To save you!" Tommy growled.

"Tommy, wait," TJ had a tinge of desperation on his face.

"I didn't need to be saved!" Andros shouted. He pulled up his sleeve, revealing what Tommy recognized as a wrist morpher. "That's what this is for! To power protects us so we can protect them! You should know that as well as anyone!"

As TJ scanned the area for eavesdroppers, Tommy stood in disbelief. He expected a little hesitation. But this? As a Ranger, no one had ever spoken to him like this.

Andros sighed. "I've seen this before. I knew retired Rangers growing up. Some of them give the power back, and suddenly they don't know what to do with themselves. So they waste away looking for a chance to get back in the fight. I've just never seen it in someone so young. For that matter, who are you to question Zordon's decision to retire you? Having seen this, clearly he made the right choice!"

That was it. Tommy lunged at Andros, but TJ caught him in a wastelock. Andros took a step back.

"No!" TJ cried. "Tommy, stop!"

The look on Andros' face was what insulted him the most. It wasn't just contempt. There was a sadness in it too. Pity.

"I'm sorry," Andros said. "But you can't help us. You'll be out of your element, and you'll be a distraction out there. Our focus needs to be entirely on finding Zordon."

Tommy felt his stomach drop. Behind him, he heard TJ say something under his breath.

"What?" Tommy asked, hearing the fear in his own voice. "What about Zordon?"

Andros shook his head. "Never mind. We're leaving."

Tommy shot forward, breaking TJ's grip. His shoulder caught Andros in the chest, and the two of them went down. He tried to hook a hold, but Andros was able to wriggle out and get to his feet. They came to a stand-still.

"What happened to Zordon?" Tommy asked, his voice deceptively steady. "Is he alright? Where is he?"

"There's nothing you can do," Andros replied. "Knowing will only make it harder for you."

Tommy felt his teeth clench. "Let me help you. Wherever he is, we can find him together."

The other man shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't do that. Listen to me. This won't make you a Power Ranger again. You need to move on. That's obviously what Zordon wanted for you."

That set Tommy off again. But this time, Andros was ready. He moved half a pace to his left, and caught Tommy with a heel kick to the side of the head. Tommy heard a ringing in his ears as he his the ground shoulder-first. The world spun.

Sloppy. That was how he'd remember it later. Emotional and sloppy.

"Enough!" he heard TJ shout. "C'mon, Andros. We're done. Let's go."

Struggling to get to his feet, Tommy heard TJ's voice one last time.

"I'm sorry, Tommy."

Soundtrack:  
David Bowie - "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Tommy vs. Andros)


	5. Chapter 5

_**NOVEMBER 6, 1998  
COUNTDOWN: One Day**_

Pink. Of course she was wearing pink. Why wouldn't she be?

"Morning," Abby greeted, pushing the door open for him. She wore a pink t-shirt, with a matching pink headband, and gray shorts. Those shorts were…nice. She had a thermos in her free hand.

"Coffee?" Tommy asked.

Abby frowned, and then realized he was asking about the thermos. "Yeah. Was up late doing dietetics homework."

A great start. She barely knew what he was talking about.

"Dietetics, huh?" he replied as they walked down the stairs. "Is that your major?

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "If you're thinking of majoring in it, don't. It's a _lot_ of science stuff."

Tommy adjusted the bag over his shoulder. The other day had been a shinai day. Today was a bo staff day, and they made the bag awkwardly misshapen. They were sticking out weird. He should have considered that before he left.

"Point taken," he answered.

"So what's your major? Karate chopping?"

He smiled. "Nah. I'm actually undeclared right now."

"You know what it should be?" he asked, rounding the front desk and sitting back down. Tommy stood at the bottom of the steps. "Batmanomics."

"Batma…? Oh! Got it."

Even better. He didn't know what she was talking about either.

"I'm just saying. You're in there doing all that karate stuff. You should get yourself some pointy ears and a Batmobile. Make it official."

Tommy leaned against the banister. "A Batmobile might be a little out of my price range. Isn't Batman supposed to be rich?"

Abby shrugged. "Well, how do I know you're telling the truth? Nobody would suspect the mild-mannered guy from Marchand Hall, would they?"

"I guess not," he said. "So if I'm Batman, who does that make you?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Me? I'm the girl who throws crappy clothes on and opens the rec center for Batman. Wait…oh crap."

"What?"

"I'm Alfred."

Tommy laughed. It wasn't a fake one, either. "Naw. Not Alfred. And your clothes aren't crappy. You look cute."

Abby gave him a meek little smile. Had he surprised her with that? He hadn't meant to be so…direct?

"Well thank you, Batman. You do too."

Tommy's gears spun. He'd tipped his hand a little too much. Luke had told him not to do that. That if you revealed too much you "gave them all the power" or something. Dana had been in the room at the time. She'd given him a look.

"Anyway, I'll, uh, see you some time at Marchand. Hopefully?"

She nodded. "Hopefully."

The bag bounced against the banister as Tommy turned and headed for the dance studio.

Had it been this tough back in high school?

There was shouting coming from their suite when Tommy stepped off the elevator. He picked up his pace. Recognizing Dana's voice, he stopped just short of walking inside.

"You can't tell me what to do anymore!" she shouted. "And who are you even kidding? You don't care anyway!"

There was a pause. Then Dana let loose a flurry of cuss words.

She was on the phone. That was good at least. A fight wasn't about to break out in their suite.

"Then why did you lie to me my entire life?!" she picked up after the cussing spree. "If you hadn't lied then maybe I wouldn't be all the way across the damn country! And-….no! It's a lie by omission! That still counts!"

Tommy heard a door open behind him. Jenny, who lived down the hall, poked her head out. Tommy mouthed an apology. She rolled her eyes and slammed the door.

"Fine then! Go back to your damn job! That's obviously all you care about anyway!"

Something smacked against the the door, and then there was a clacking sound on the tile floor inside. Tommy waited about 30 seconds before unlocking the door and walking in.

Dana was sitting against the back of the couch, her head down. She was crying, though she tried to hide it when Tommy came in.

"Seriously?" she grunted, turning away from him as she stood. "What the hell, Tommy?"

"Sorry, Dana," he said. He wasn't sure why he was apologizing, as it was his suite, not hers. "Are you…uh…are you okay?"

Amidst her sniffles, Dana scoffed. She was at their suite window now, looking out over Barton Road. "Oh yeah! I'm great. What? You can't tell?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever. But _please_ don't shout, okay?"

Not waiting for a response, Tommy went to unlock his room. He'd just gotten the door opened when he heard her. Just barely. But she said it…

"I"m sorry, alright?"

He sighed, and tossed his bag on to the bed. Crossing his arms, Tommy leaned against his doorframe and faced out toward the common room.

"I thought Luke was skipping class today," she said, still facing the window. "We were supposed to have breakfast. Then I got that call."

"Your dad?"

Dana looked at him, her eyes red. "Luke told you?"

"No," he answered, hoping was about to fare better at talking to Dana than he did with Abby. "I mean, he said you two weren't getting along. That's all. But I was outside, and I heard the thing about him lying to you all your life."

Dana wiped her nose with the sleeve of her Misfits shirt. "Yeah, well, he did. Because he's an asshole."

Tommy held up his index finger, and then pulled a few tissues from the box his room. She accepted them when he held them out to her.

"Thanks."

He treaded cautiously. "Look, you and I don't know each other that well. I get it. I don't know if I can relate to whatever your family drama is. But I do know what it's like to be the new kid. I'm sure it's an…entirely different situation for you. But if you want to talk to somebody, I'm here, okay?"

She gave him a little nod, accepting the gesture with a little more grace than Tommy expected.

"Alright. Go ahead and hang out if you want. I've got to get ready for class."

Per his usual routine, Tommy took a shower, shaved and got dressed. When he opened the bathroom door about 20 minutes later, steam wafted out near the ceiling. He poked his head out and looked toward the common room, but couldn't see Dana. The TV wasn't on. He started running a comb through his hair as he took the few steps from the bathroom into his room.

When he turned around, Dana was in his doorway.

"Are you close with your parents?"

It was a question he hadn't expected, but probably should have. "Um, yeah. I guess. I mean, they're my adoptive parents. Took me in when I was really little."

"And what would you do if you found out they'd been keeping something from you your whole life?"

"Like what?"

Tommy recognized the look of someone trying to find the boundaries between what they could and couldn't say.

"Like…like a part of their life that you never knew about," Dana answered. "Like, a part of their job. Or a hobby or something. But not, like, a stamp collection or anything. Like, something big. Something dangerous."

Something inside him ached.

"And he never told you?"

"No, I mean, I'm just saying, what if?" she fumbled. "What if you found out that one of your parents…didn't trust you with part of who they are. Like, a _big_ part of who they are. And you've never really known the whole truth about them. Known them fully. What would you do?"

Tommy had several different answers. Good ones. But only one he could actually say to her.

"I guess I would ask them why they'd kept it from me," Tommy replied, choosing his words very carefully. "And I would hope that they had a good reason. Like that they were, I dunno, trying to protect me from something. Because they loved me."

Dana simmered. "Is that what lies do? Protect people?"

"I guess…" Tommy continued searching for words. "It depends on the lie."

"Does it?" Dana asked. She walked away. A few seconds later, Tommy heard the front door open and close. She'd left a roar of dealing silence in her wake.

Tommy opened one of his closets, and reached up to the top shelf. He pulled down a cardboard banker's box. Inside were the few things he'd opted to bring with him from home. Scattered photographs. His high school year books. Some letters.

Piled under everything was an unmarked black photo album. He hadn't looked at it in a long time. At least a year. It was tucked down there for a reason.

Opening to a random page, the words "GREEN RANGER GONE GOOD?" blared up at him.

A few years ago, Tommy's father had gone through a phase where he read a few different newspapers a day. _The New York Times_. _The Washington Post_. _The Orlando Sentinel_. Not long after moving to Angel Grove, he added _The Angel Grove Chronicle_. to the rotation. And then Tommy began reading them. But for entirely different reasons. Sometimes, late at night, he'd even pull them from the trash.

"WHY WE CAN NOT TRUST THE DRAGONZORD."

"WHITE RANGER, 'TIGER ZORD' EMERGE NEAR WAREHOUSE DISTRICT."

"NEW RANGERS. NEW ZORDS. NEW THREATS?"

There was another portion of the album dedicated to photos no one else could ever see. None, rather, than a very select group of people Tommy's age. He closed the album before he got there. Stuffing it back where it was, he pushed the box back up on the shelf. Best to let the past stay buried.

Tommy shoved a few books in his bag, and slung it over his back. He made sure to lock his door behind him.

 ** _CHAPTER SIX drops tomorrow._**  
 ** _CHAPTER SEVEN drops September 5_**

Follow Powerless on Twitter at  PowerlessNovel.


	6. Chapter 6

_**NINE MONTHS AGO**_

"Excuse me, do you know where Pudgy Pig is?"

Tommy frowned at the woman. "I'm sorry?"

"Pudgy Pig," she replied. "You know, the deli meat?"

His mind flickered back to a story he'd once been told about a petting zoo. Then he pointed back toward the east end of the store. "Meats are back that way. Next to dairy."

The woman pushed her cart past him. Tommy reached back into the box stamped "Sandy's Market" and pulled out a few more tuna cans, stacking them on the shelf.

"Nice."

Tommy looked back at Dave, who was no doubt coming up to relieve him. "Sorry man. I'm still getting used to the layout of this place."

Dave was about Tommy's age, with a skinny build, short dark hair, and the beginnings of a beard. "It's alright. You're good to clock out."

He undid his apron and started to walk off, but then heard Dave's voice behind him.

"Hey, there was a guy up front asking about you."

"What guy?"

Dave shrugged. "I dunno. Big dude, though. Must work out. You don't owe any gambling debts, do you?"

Tommy shook his head, wadding his apron into a ball in his hand. He'd been here about two weeks, and his back and feet were still sore after shifts. Dave and the other clerks at Sandy's told him it was just a matter of your body getting used to the repetitive motion.

He made his way upstairs into the break room to get his wallet and keys from his locker. Tommy waved to his manager before heading back downstairs, draping his apron over his shoulders. He looked around the front end for whoever this mysterious "guy up front" was, but saw no one.

Until he got to his truck.

"Hey bro,"

Jason was sitting on the trunk of his dinged up little Honda, which he'd parked next to Tommy's truck. Tommy's guard shot up. For a few moments, they looked at each other in silence. He and Jason hadn't been in the same place since the Nemesis Triangle. They'd had little phone talks. But nothing in person. That wasn't a glad-to-see-you "Hey bro," either. It was a time-to-talk "Hey bro."

"We're not going to fight, are we?" Jason asked. Tommy could tell he was only half-joking. "I haven't stretched or anything."

Tommy sighed. "No. I think we've fought each other enough."

Jason stepped down on to the pavement. "Yeah. Me too."

He stuck his hand out as he approached. Tommy took it. They hugged. Tommy's heart let go of something.

The cabin wasn't spacious. About the equivalent of a two-bedroom apartment. But it suited Tommy's needs just fine. His uncle only used it a few times a year anyway. It came with access to the lake, a neighboring small town to work in, and most importantly: Solitude and anonymity. Tommy's Uncle John had agreed to let him say here with the provision that he'd help with a few cleaning and repair jobs.

Jobs that, thus far, he'd failed miserably at. The place hadn't been dusted, vacuumed, or picked up much since Tommy had arrived in December. The couch was disheveled. Dishes and glasses were piled up in the kitchen sink. He wasn't at all proud of the bathroom. There were a variety of books piled up on the coffee table. A fair amount of fiction, but some other stuff as well. But the largest one was titled, _Meditation and the Truth of Suffering._

"Aw Tommy," he heard Jason say to himself. Tommy emerged from the bedroom wearing a pair of board shorts and a red tank top. Moments later, he realized that shirt was probably a mistake. To say he hadn't been in the gym lately would be an understatement. Jason, on the other hand, looked as fit as he ever had.

Pulling a pair of bottles from the fridge, Tommy motioned for Jason to join him on the patio. Jason glanced down at the labels as he carried the bottles over. They were Cokes. Tommy leaned over the wooden rail and looked out at the lake. Behind him, he heard the quick hiss of Jason opening his bottle.

"So you said Emily's got family in Vegas?" Tommy asked.

"Grandparents, actually," Jason replied. "She went up to see them last week. I'm meeting them there tomorrow."

"That's awesome, man. I'm sure you'll have fun."

"Yeah," Jason replied, coming up and taking a lean of his own. "Apparently grandma really likes to play the slots."

Tommy let himself smile a bit. "Nothing wrong with that. So you two are still good then?"

Jason nodded. He and Emily had been officially together for more than a year now. When Tommy first knew him, Jason hardly dated at all. Not because he wasn't interested in girls, but because he had so little time. He was the leader of the Power Rangers, and that responsibility hadn't exactly come with an instruction manual. His response to all that uncertainty was to jump in with both feet. That worked to his own detriment at times, as absolutely everything else took a backseat. But Jason had carried himself with such confidence, determination, and grace. Later on, much of Tommy's approach as team leader would be based on what he'd seen Jason do.

"Anyway," Jason continued. "I thought I'd swing by and see if I could catch a glimpse of the famous cabin by the lake. This view is nice."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"So you think you'll be up here awhile?"

Tommy shrugged. "I dunno. Another couple of months at least. I've got that job now. I don't want to bail on them too quickly."

Jason took a swig from his bottle as the lake gently swayed. There was a faint smell of barbecue in the air. In the distance, one of his neighbors rocketed across the water on a jet ski.

"You can ask," Tommy said.

"What?"

Tommy smirked. "C'mon, man. That's obviously why you're here."

"That's not true," he said. "I've missed you, bro. But after everything, I didn't really know how to move forward."

In all fairness, Tommy hadn't known either. A rift had formed between them shortly after the battle at the Nemesis Triangle. The whole thing had been a misunderstanding. But it had made things weird and messy. Jason had gone on a scuba diving trip with someone. Tommy had asked some questions. Perhaps not in the nicest of ways. Accusations were made. _Definitely_ not in the nicest of ways. Worse yet, both Katherine and Emily had gotten pulled into it. The whole thing had taken awhile to cool down.

"I can understand that," Tommy said. "I've missed you too. There were a lot of times I wanted to call you after I…whatever."

"You could have," Jason replied. "You should have. It's like we said, man. You and I will always be friends."

Tommy held his bottle out, and Jason clinked it.

"So, as your friend, I _am_ going to ask," he continued. "What's goin' on with you, bro?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"Yeah you do," Jason pushed. "Word trickled down about what happened with the library, and then with that space guy."

Tommy had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He'd had a sinking feeling word would get out eventually. Adam, Tanya, Katherine, or even Justin were perfectly capable of talking to TJ, or one of the other current Rangers. They in turn could talk to Jason. It was turning into this weird expanded network of Rangers and former Rangers.

"You ran away, bro," Jason said.

His jaw tightened. There it was. Tommy knew, of course. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't deluding himself. He knew what he was doing when he left Angel Grove. It had been the night of the confrontation with Andros and TJ. He'd given his parents a rushed explanation about how he couldn't stand to be in this place anymore, and then took off. Oddly enough, his parents filled in some of the blanks themselves. They figured he was traumatized after being in the library that day, and needed to get away for awhile. So he'd gotten the okay to spend some time up at the cabin. His parents, his brother David, and his uncle would all come up to see him regularly, not wanting him to be alone with his feelings. Only David knew the real truth.

One day he would tell them everything. Tommy had lied to his family for far too long to protect his identity as a Power Ranger. They deserved better. They deserved to know the truth about who he was. Or who he had been.

"You ran away from your life," Jason continued. "Adam says you bailed on school completely and you don't return calls. This doesn't feel like you at all. What are you doing up here, man?"

And so, Tommy took a deep breath and let it all come tumbling out.

Reset.

That was the word Tommy kept coming back to on his way down here, so that's what he called it. He'd needed to reset his mind and his body. Not just because he didn't have his powers anymore, but because he'd crossed a line by attacking Andros. Whether Andros was right or wrong about him trying to help at the library that day, he was holding on to his life as a Power Ranger too tightly. He needed to find a way to let go. To distance himself from the person he'd been. To reset himself and start anew. Right or wrong, this was a way to do that.

So anything that reminded him of his life as a Power Ranger, he removed.

The first few weeks hadn't been pretty. He'd spent most of his time either in bed or on the couch. Sometimes he'd have music on. Sometimes he'd watch TV, but nothing related to news or current events. No contact with anyone back home, outside of immediate family. And for the first time in a long time, Tommy cut himself off from martial arts. No work outs. No practice. Nothing.

There'd been angry nights where he'd scream at people who weren't there. There'd been nights filled with self-pity, when he wouldn't move for hours on end. And then there'd been nights where he'd simply talk. Sometimes it would be right where he and Jason were standing. He'd talk to one of them. He'd talk to all of them.

But more than anyone else, Zordon.

" _If I'm so strong and courageous and honorable, why would you take it all away from me?! I could be out there helping people! Helping you!"_

" _What am I supposed to do now? You took my life away from me. You took my whole purpose."_

" _I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm failing. I'm trying to let go. I'm trying…"_

As the weeks went by, Tommy gradually began to leave the cabin more. He swam in the lake. He walked around town. He found a local bookstore and began to read about meditation and spiritual healing. He got the job at Sandy's. He kept moving. It helped to keep moving.

Jason listened. Tommy spoke with full knowledge that what he was saying would be repeated back to various concerned parties. That was okay. Better to only have to tell this story once. He trusted Jason with it.

Finishing his bottle, Jason set it on the railing. "So that's it? You're staying here?"

"No," Tommy said, his eyes looking out at the reflection of the sun on the water. "You remember College Day?"

It took Jason a moment. "The one at school?"

"Yeah. I spent a good amount of time talking to someone from Baldwin College up in Massachusetts.

He ended up giving me his contact info. My application is in, and and I'm supposed to go down for a campus visit in May."

Jason's eyebrows went up. "Massachusetts? Wow, man. That's a long way."

"Yup."

"Like, the other side of the country."

"Not quite as far as Switzerland. But it could be cool." Tommy framed it as a playful jab. But there'd been some sting in it. During their sophomore year, Jason, Zack, and Trini had been chosen to attend a peace conference in Switzerland, and thus had left their Ranger duties behind. Tommy had never held it against Jason. But he wasn't about to take flak from him about starting over in a new place.

"Fair enough," he answered. "But there's no peace conference in Massachusetts. Are things really so bad that you've got to go that far?"

Tommy stared down at the bottle in his hand, and smudged some of the condensation with his thumb.

"Yes."

Tommy took one last swig before setting his empty bottle next to Jason's.

"It was a hard job, Jase. Hard, dangerous, and really awful sometimes. There were days I thought I was going to break in two. And the lying. The lying really sucked."

"Yeah, I don't miss that part," Jason said.

"But then you had the other stuff," he continued. "Saving lives. Seeing the way little kids look at you. Knowing, without any kind of doubt, that what you do everyday makes a difference in the world. And the people I met and fought alongside, they're best people I've ever known."

Jason understood all this, of course. He didn't need to explain it. But Tommy had spent so much time alone up here…

"I ended up doing it for such a long time. And it wasn't just me. It was the team. I know that. But it felt like everything in my life had been building to that. My martial arts background. The way I interact with people."

Jason chuckled. "Yeah man. You were good. We were good. And we did good. That's the important thing."

"It defined so much of who I am as a person, for so long. And it's just…it's gone. It's selfish to want it back. I know that. But without it, who am I?"

Jason's hand touched his shoulder. "You're Tommy. The same guy who did all that stuff. But you're also the guy who wrote me letters in Switzerland. The guy who helped me break my freshman bench press record. And the guy who pushed me to go for it and ask that biker girl out. You and me, we're more than just Power Rangers, man. It took me some time to figure that out too. But I got there."

"How did you do it? How did you let go?"

Tommy fidgeted a bit. He'd wanted to ask Jason that question for awhile. But for a variety of reasons, he hadn't. Tommy had lost his Green Ranger powers for a few months during his freshman year, and then again for a couple of weeks before becoming the White Ranger. But almost two years had passed between Jason's departure for Switzerland and his return as the Gold Ranger. He'd had to go back to normal life somehow. In their letters to one another, Jason had mentioned it being "weird" not being a Ranger anymore. But they'd never discussed it further.

"Honestly man, I was lucky," Jason said after pondering it. "I was in a different country, with basically a whole new life. But I had Zack and Trini nearby, and they were in the same position I was. When I needed to talk about it, I could."

Jason gestured toward the cabin. "But you don't really seem to be into the whole talking thing."

"That's because it hurts, Jase," Tommy said, more curtly than he intended. "Seeing Adam, Tanya, and even you, it brings me back to those days. And it reminds me that I'm…"

He wanted to say 'powerless.' He didn't.

"…that I can't be the person I want to be anymore. I'll probably never be that guy again."

Tommy didn't like the pity he saw in Jason's eyes. It was far too similar to the look he'd gotten from Andros that day.

"It was wild and crazy and freaky and awesome time, bro," Jason said. "But the world doesn't need us to do that anymore. We can't just live in our own shadows for the rest of our lives."

The two young men looked out at the horizon for a little longer.

"You think this is what Zordon saw for us? In the end?" Tommy asked.

"In the end? I don't know, man. We might never know. And by now, I think I'm okay with that."

He also didn't know Zordon had been…kidnapped? Taken prisoner? Andros had used the word "rescue." Tommy didn't know either, of course. And he'd been doing his best these past few months to put it out of his mind.

Jason turned and headed back inside. With the sun continuing to descend,Tommy picked up their bottles and followed him.

Soundtrack:  
Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (Tommy and Jason)

 _ **CHAPTER SEVEN drops September 5.  
CHAPTER EIGHT drops September 12.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**November 7, 1998**_

 _ **Invasion Day**_

Tommy rounded a corner. Slowly. Deliberately. Keeping his eyes peeled for threats.

"Dude, you're overthinking it," Luke said.

He'd been in this position before. He was used to it. Though that didn't make it any easier.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

Tommy eased forward a few steps, his weapon at the ready. He found himself in a narrow, empty corridor. This building…was it a bunker? Luke had said bunker, he thought. But he couldn't remember. It was the classic Oliver memory at work.

"I mean you're gettin' all worked up about this," Luke replied. "But really, what do you have to lose?"

There was a small flight of stairs just ahead. Tommy checked his six, and proceeded slowly downward. He was approaching a pretty large room. Looking up, he saw the security cameras had been taken out. That meant he might not be alone.

"I dunno, man," he muttered. "She and I don't know each other that well. It's just awkward."

"Well, you wanna get to know her, don't you?" Luke pushed.

It was a fair point. Abby had been there this morning. She hadn't met him at the door this time, which was disappointing. She'd been caught up with some paperwork at the desk or something. He had waved, and she'd waved back. But it wasn't the same. He'd grown fond of their little encounters. Since he'd started at Baldwin, hers was the first face he'd see every day. The first voice he'd hear. Very different than his time up at the cabin, where he'd wake up alone, work out alone, drive to and from Sandy's alone. Tommy had done "alone" quite a bit since leaving Angel Grove. For good reason. He'd needed it. But when he came to Baldwin, he'd been ready for something different. Luke, Percy, and Dana were certainly different. But the school had simply grouped them together in a suite. It was circumstance, albeit a happy one.

Abby was the first person in quite some time that he'd found himself drawn to.

Easing himself into the room, Tommy spotted a world map in front of a lectern. There were chairs facing forward, a strange assortment of crates, and even cages that seemed to be meant for dangerous animals. There were bars in front of the nearest doorway.

"But if I ask her out and she says no, that puts a huge damper on things. I see her just about every day. And I _like_ seeing her every day. If it goes south-"

"WAA! OH MAN!" Luke shouted

There was a series of loud bangs. Tommy jumped, thumbing the D-pad on his controller. But it was too late. Luke had wandered into the same room and gotten a bunch of shots off. "Blood" flowed down his half of the screen.

"Hey Tommy?" Dana's voice came from across the couch, next to Luke. She was peeking over a newspaper. "You're dead."

He sighed. Video games were never his thing. Come to think of it, dating wasn't either. He was a good relationship guy. But the initial dating stuff was always a struggle. Considering all he'd done in his life, the irony in being afraid to talk to a girl was not lost on him.

Luke shook his head and slid down the couch a bit. "Dude, I'm sorry, but the pity party routine is gettin' kinda old. Either pull the trigger, or don't."

Dana chuckled, still reading the paper. "Get it? You see what he did? Because he shot you, and you're dead."

Tommy let the recliner drop next to him on the recliner. "I'm sorry, man. I'm just…I'm not good at this kinda stuff."

He felt a clap on his shoulder. "Yeah you are. You just need to get outta your own head. Hey, is she still working? Like, right now?"

Tommy checked his watch. Almost 10 in the morning. "Maybe. I don't know what her schedule is."

"You know what you should do? Go down there and check. And if she is there? You go up to her and you ask her out."

He felt a twinge in his stomach. "What? C'mon. You know that's not how it works."

"Why? Why isn't that how it works?" Luke asked, throwing his hands up. He reached over and nudged Dana. "Back me up, kid! Shouldn't he get down there and ask her?"

Dana put the paper down, staring at Luke like he'd asked her to get his laundry. She and Tommy hadn't talked again about whatever the issue with her dad had been. Still, her demeanor toward him was a little less icey.

"What Luke said is correct," she deadpanned. She looked at Luke, silently asking to be let off the hook.

"I dunno, guys," he answered, leaning forward and putting his feet on the ground. "I guess it's hard to understand, but…"

It was then that Percy burst through his door, as he was prone to do. He flat-out ignored them as he sprinted out the into the hall. There was a camera around his neck.

"It's happening!" he cried. "It's happening!"

After a brief silence, Luke was the first to speak. "I don't say this too often, but I think you should follow Percy's lead."

The walk to the rec center had never been quite so long. Considering it neighbored Marchand Hall, that was saying something.

 _So listen. I was thinking. Would you want to go grab pizza or something?_

No. People don't "grab" pizza.

 _Hey. So you know how you said I'm Batman? Well I am. You want to jump in my Batmobile and get coffee?_

Nope. Not that one. Even Batman wouldn't use that one.

 _So…I like you. You're really cool. Would you want to hang out some time?_

Eh, maybe. Not great. But an okay start.

Tommy looked down at his clothes, realizing he was still wearing his workout gear. He hadn't even showered. Luke had pulled him into a game when he'd walked in.

Was she going to think he hadn't showered? Was his hair greasy? He thought about going back and getting a bandana.

Tommy stood and looked long and hard at the rec center doors, still not even knowing for sure if she was in there. If she wasn't, this would all be for nothing. Tommy let out a deep exhale. He was pacing. He was actually pacing.

For so long, being a Power Ranger had defined almost everything about him. His relationship with his family. Who his friends were. And of course, his relationships.

But he wasn't a Power Ranger anymore.

It had taken some time, but Tommy was learning to live with that. He'd gotten himself away from the people who'd known him at his best. He'd established a new normal for himself, with friends who'd never known what he was before.

This was different. This thing with Abby, if he was going to do it, required appealing to someone on another level. And if he wasn't a Power Ranger anymore, if he wasn't at his best…

Though it often hurt, when Tommy found himself searching for answers, he inevitably thought of Zordon. What would Zordon do? What would Zordon say? Is Zordon even capable of speaking right now? Is he even alive?

" _You are a strong and courageous fighter, Green Ranger. And an honorable man."_

" _Tommy has proven himself to be worthy and true. His courage, strength, and honor allowed us to choose him to be the new White Ranger."_

" _It's not just the costume and power that gives me strength, but it's who and what I am inside that really empowers me."_

Tommy surprised himself, remembering his own words.

He knew it was true. He always had. It didn't make things hurt any less, make it any less difficult, or give him the direction he was looking for. And maybe he was right. Maybe he wasn't at his best anymore.

But being Tommy Oliver was still pretty darn good, wasn't it?

Tommy took a deep breath in slowly, and then let it flow out.

"Alright," he whispered to himself. "Back to action."

Then the sound came. Tommy stopped and turned. It was in the distance. But it had definitely been there. A crash. A boom. Something.

Then there was something else too.

Screaming.


	8. Chapter 8

_**NOVEMBER 7, 1998**_

 _ **INVASION DAY**_

During their sophomore year, shortly after Rocky, Adam, and Aisha joined the team, Tommy had a conversation with Billy about how being Rangers had cased a shift in their acute stress response. Or as it's often referred to, the "fight-or-flight" reflex.

When faced with danger, a normal human nervous system will prepare the body to protect itself, whether via fighting or retreating. While at the Juice Bar one day, Billy told Tommy it had taken a long time to train himself not to run away from attackers, specifically Putty Patrollers. Despite every hormonal and neurological impulse screaming at him to run, he would will himself to stay where he was. Over time, his natural reactions began to change. Instead of telling him to run away from the danger, his body would tell him to stay planted and face it. Later his instincts would shift again, prompting him to challenge and defy the threat, all the while staying calm so his mind could function at optimal capacity.

In essence, Billy had gradually trained himself to run toward danger, rather than away from it. His point had been that the new Rangers would have to do something similar.

Tommy had related to what he was saying. But it was only after giving up his powers that he realized he had the opposite problem. He had to train himself _not_ to run toward danger. When he caught wind of a monster or Pirhanatron attack in Angel Grove, his battle reflexes would kick in. He had to make himself physically sit down and do something else. Read, listen to music, do homework, etc. That constant pull, that itch, that urge, was one of the main reasons he'd picked a school on the other side of the country. While he got better at coping with it it, that 'fight-not-flee" response never completely left him.

Thus, when Tommy heard the sound and the accompanying cries, he'd started moving before his mind realized what he was doing. He was once again moving toward the danger.

He told himself to stop. That it wasn't his fight anymore.

But he didn't. He couldn't. Tommy could only listen to his shoes slapping the pavement and the wind heaving in and out of his lungs.

The commotion was coming from Greek Court. Or at least the general direction of Greek Court. From a cardio perspective, Tommy had definitely been in better shape. But he was still able to maintain his pace for what must have been a five minute run.

A small crowd had formed in front of the Pi Gamma Pi house. Pitch black smoke drifted up from the roof, which was still intact, but clearly damaged.

It was then that Tommy began to notice metallic fragments in the road in front of him. Some were shiny and metallic. Others charred and broken.

"Sorry guys!" he exclaimed, bumping into various onlookers. He slammed into an arm, and nearly stumbled over dropped textbooks.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry, man!" he threw back, not even looking to see who he'd hit. As he finally reached Pi Gamma Pi, he began to make out what the disturbance was.

An aircraft. Or what had been an aircraft. Large enough for the pilot alone, Tommy imagined it had been about the size of one of the Machine Empire's Quadrafighters. It had landed on its left side, its nose compressed by the landing. Its right wing was broken and folded over, and its tail end was almost completely gone. Judging by the smoke coming from Pi Gamma Pi, Tommy had a sinking feeling he knew where it was. Or at least part of it.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Tommy could just make out some of the conversations around him…

"-that Chucky's room? Was he home?"

"How does this even happen? My dad's an air marshall-"

"-attack! It's an attack! The Power Rangers are engaging-"

That last one he recognized. Tommy whirled around. Percy was in the middle of the crowd, reaching out and grabbing as many people as he could, literally grabbing for their attention.

"You have to listen to me! It's a coordinated attack! These things are all over the country! All over the world!"

"Will you shut up?" a male voice shouted at Percy. "You're freaking people out!"

"You SHOULD freak out!" Percy bellowed back. "We need to get inside! We need to get away before more of them-"

"Percy!" Fighting through the crowd, Tommy gripped him by the shoulder of his sweater vest. "C'mon, man! Let's go! Come talk to me!"

"Tommy!" he exclaimed. "You need to call your family! Make sure they're alright!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The attack started in Angel Grove!"

A chill raced through Tommy's body. He looked back at the crash and then looked back at Percy.

A loud thud pierced the air. All eyes shifted to the hull of the small craft. Through the shards of the front window, as a metallic arm came into view.

"Oh my God!" someone cried. "The pilot is still alive!"

A handful of students made their way forward to help whoever was inside. But then the figure tumbled out on to the grass, and the pilot's would-be aids stopped dead in their tracks. The robot had obviously been humanoid by design. But the crash had split it nearly in half. Errant circuitry and a large chunk of its left thigh hung from its torso.

A Quantron.

"Get back!" Tommy cried, rushing back to the front of the crowd. Reflexively, he held his arms out, as if he could hold everyone back himself.

As if he could protect them.

The Quantron spoke in its trademark synthesized language, though the pitch abruptly rose and fell. Its left eye was shattered. It reached out to grab a handful of grass, trying to pull itself forward. Its right arm was curled in toward its chest.

"Is it-, do you think it's dangerous?" a female voice asked from nearby.

Tommy gazed back at the girl. The question hadn't been meant for him. It the answer was hard to tell. Tommy's only encounter with the Quantrons had been at the library that day. So he wasn't sure what kind of defense mechanisms they had.

He was about to inspect the robot himself when sparks suddenly erupted from its neck and broken eye, the inertia turning it over on to its back. . It made a series of garbled noises, before what remained of its body went limp. Its right arm flopped down to its side, and something cube-shaped dropped from its hand and into the grass.

It was a purple gem of some kind, about the size of a baseball. It was glowing. But not continuously. It would start and stop. A slow flicker.

Tommy glanced around at all the innocent people around him, and cautiously started toward the destroyed robot.

"Hey, what are you doin' dude?" a boy in a Pi Gamma Pi shirt asked. Tommy ignored him. He knelt down next to the robot, and hovered his hand over the gem. It wasn't hot. He moved in to pick it up.

"Be careful, Tommy."

He nearly swept Percy's legs out from under him. "Can you not sneak up on me right now, man?"

"I'm sorry!" Percy exclaimed. "Maybe we should wait for the Rangers to-"

His voice was drowned out by sirens as the police and fire department rounded the block. Tommy looked down at the gem.

"You're right, Percy," Tommy said, turning to leave the way he came. "C'mon, let's go."

There were three police cars in the road now, along with a fire engine. Four uniformed officers began moving students back to create a perimeter around the crash. Percy followed Tommy into the street as they passed the disembarking firefighters. The two of them had walked the equivalent of about half a football field before Percy started talking again.

"Alright Tommy. So my friend on AIM, she clued me in. That robot thing over there? There are, like, a million of them in Angel Grove right now! There's also this giant floating spaceship thing over the city. The Power Rangers few into respond, but they were overwhelmed! And if you listen to the radio, it sounds like they're in places like New York and Chicago-"

The crackling sound came first. Morphological energy.

Tommy looked back just in time to see a burst of purple energy knock the officers back, along with a several. As the crackling continued, a purple vortex quickly materialized above the spot where the gem had been. Was it even still there? Tommy couldn't see.

Then they came. Dozens of Quantrons walking through the purple vortex. Some holding the bladed weapons Tommy had seen last year, while others carried swords. Some had no weapons at all. In their midst were two monsters Tommy didn't recognize. One was a humanoid bat creature with strange wing-like shrouds over his torso and waist. He also appeared to be wearing a cape. The other was a armored humanoid Rhinoceros creature with a giant drill bit where its horn would have been.

Bystanders began racing past Tommy and Percy as the officers rushed to take defensive positions behind their vehicles. Tommy estimated there were about six dozen Quantrons. Plus the monsters. And these were college town cops. Even if they could match them man for man, they were way out of their league.

Tommy felt Percy's hand grip his bicep. "C'mon! We've got to get out of here!"

Clenching his teeth, Tommy followed Percy away from the cacophony of gunshots and CLANGs as bullets collided with Quantron armor. Tommy pulled him behind a corvette parked on the curb. Crouching behind the trunk, he peeked his head out just in time to hear a loud crunch, accompanied by shattering glass.

The Quantrons had already overturned one of the police cars, and the four officers were rapidly backpedaling, their guns firing essentially useless bullets. They never stood a chance.

The fire crew seemed unsure what to do. One of them looked like was frantically shouting into his radio.

Percy leaned in next to him, trying to get a look. "Tommy, what are you- Oh. This is bad. This is real bad…"

"You said this is happening everywhere?"

Percy nodded. "That's what I heard. They're hitting major cities."

Tommy's mind raced. Eagle Ridge was hardly a major city. So the crashed Quantron must not have been meant to come down here. Most likely it was headed for Boston. Maybe Cambridge or Worcester.

"What about the Power Rangers?" Tommy asked.

Percy's face told him the answer before he even spoke. "I…I don't really know. Supposedly they went into Angel Grove, but disappeared. That's the last thing I was told."

"And _who_ told you this, exactly?"

"One of my AIM friends. Her dad works in Angel Grove City."

Tommy thought of TJ and the others. Percy didn't exactly have a credible source of information. But if this really was happening all over the country, and the Rangers really were down…

Help wasn't coming. They were on their own.

There was a thunderous explosion, accompanied by a wave of searing heat. Tommy dove for cover, pulling Percy down on the cement with him. They army-crawled underneath the corvette. From his low vantage point, he saw the other police car was now enveloped in flames.

And then, a screeching sound that could very well have pierced his eardrums if he'd been standing closer. Percy let out a yelp. Tommy saw bits of brick that matched the various fraternity and sorority houses that surrounded them.

People were still screaming. Tommy could see dozens, if not over a hundred, metallic boots on the ground, walking in their direction. They were followed in short order by the two monsters.

"Are you _sure_ this is the place, Power Driller?" a scratchy, high pitched voice asked. Naturally, Tommy assumed that was the bat-like creature talking to the drill monster.

A low-pitched grumbling came back from Power Driller, which was followed by the loud swatting of flesh against metal. "No one talks to Batarax that way! Anyhow, what do you know? You were only active once! For maybe an hour! On another part of the planet! And you lost!"

The grumbling returned, this time with more bass in it.

"That's not the point!" Batarax replied, his voice getting further away as the army moved toward campus. "Urrrgh. Just do what you do! Drill holes in stuff! And I'll do what I do!"

The screeching returned, and there was another explosion in the distance. Tommy realized Batarax was using a sonic blast attack.

"Just remember," Batarax continued. "If we see a Power Ranger, let me do the talking. I'm putting in for a promotion soon, and want to impress…"

The commotion had died into near silence when Tommy finally scooted out into the open. The police car was still burning, and there were now gaping holes in two nearby houses. Half the upper level of Alpha Sigma Sigma was gone. Then further away, Tommy could see into the charred living area of Delta Delta Pi.

Just then, the fire crew finally turned the hose on the Pi Gamma Pi house. Tommy could make out two of the police officers huddled together behind the car that had merely been overturned. He assumed the other two were helping students among the wreckage.

Then, in the distance, another explosion.

"This can't be happening," he whispered to himself. "Not here."

Sirens echoed across campus. More police and rescue personnel would be arriving soon. But they were largely defenseless. With enough effort, the Quantrons could be dismantled. But those monsters, Batarax and Power Driller, were another matter. They could bring the whole campus down.

Tommy felt his fist clench, and a familiar electricity in his body.

He wasn't a Power Ranger anymore. But he was the closest thing they had.

He didn't have to take them out. If he could draw Batarax and Power Driller's attention long enough, Tommy could buy time and reduce the risk of civilian casualties. He could help these people.

With a series of grunts and moans, Percy finally crawled out from under the car. "Oh…oh no."

Tommy looked back at his roommate. Percy now had a tear in his sweater vest and was smeared with black grime from under the car. He was eccentric, for sure. Even downright annoying at times. But Percy always meant well.

"Percy," Tommy said. "Listen to me. Stay in Greek Court. More police should be here soon. They'll get everybody someplace safe."

"What? Where are you going?" Percy asked, clearly bewildered.

"I'm going to find Luke and Dana," Tommy didn't want to lie at a time like this. Especially about the others. But this was enough of a risk without having a tagalong.

"I'll come with you!" Percy shot back.

He put his hand out. "I'll be faster by myself. You need to be here."

"What do you mean? Why?" Percy's tone was more stern than Tommy had ever seen. Almost angry. Tommy's mind spun for a response.

"Tell the police what you told me. About the Quantrons. Nobody's more knowledgable about this kind of stuff than you, man. Maybe you know something they don't. Make yourself available. Help out where you can."

Tommy watched Percy slowly accept his answer, but nearly flipped him again when Percy wrapped him in a hug.

"Be careful, Tommy."

Tommy gave him a little squeeze back. "I will, man. You too."

Soundtrack

Orgy - "Blue Monday" (Invasion Day)


	9. Chapter 9

_**NOVEMBER 7, 1998**_

 _ **INVASION DAY**_

Bricks cracking and crumbling on concrete.

Shattered glass raining down from the sky.

The statue of John Adams in the center of the quad, now a pile of marble fragments on the ground.

Fire. In the trees. The buildings in Greek Court. The dining area at Levy Hall.

Various loud screeches, typically followed by explosions and destruction.

These were the sights and sounds reported by civilians in the aftermath of the attack at Baldwin University. The most common ones, at least.

Based on various accounts later pieced together by the Eagle Ridge Police Department, along with the Baldwin University Police, the path of destruction paved by the monsters and Quantrons continued from Greek Court, went between Levy and Sloan Halls, on through the quad. As they moved, pockets of Quantrons would veer off on their own. By the time Batarax and Power Driller reached Barton Road, a main artery between the Science Building and Marchand Hall, they were flanked by nine of their designated mechanical foot soldiers. The roughly three dozen others had spread out.

Eye-witnesses said Batarax unleashed yet another sonic blast as he and Power Driller crossed Barton Road. This resulted in an oncoming Oldsmobile flipping on to its drivers side, the continued force of the blast scooting it across the cement for a few seconds before it overturned completely. Motorists behind the Oldsmobile screeched to a hault, two veering over the curb.

From there, Power Driller took aim with the mega-sized drill bit that served as his "tusk," and fired it into the opposite direction. The drill plunged into the con crete and traveled several yards, kicking up shards of cement. There were loud creaks and crunches as the cement pieces collided with cars in the Marchand Hall parking lot, and even a pair of extremely unlucky civilians. Vehicles in the street sat abandoned, their drivers not willing to stay and face the monsters. The drill then levitated up from the ground, and promptly returned to Power Driller's mechanical body.

Accounts varied on what Batarax was saying during this timeframe. However, there were some consistencies among them. A few bystanders recall hearing him talk about a "long walk." More than one insisted they heard the word "Boston." One member of the science faculty specifically remembered the words "destroy everything in our path."

Finally, several people recalled the appearance of a young man, possibly a student, on top of one of the abandoned vehicles in the street. He was wearing a pair of black pants, a black tank top, and a green bandana. He was carrying a large stick of some sort.

One person specifically heard Batarax say the words, "Power Ranger."

There had been a piece of pipe laying in the grass. Copper, possibly used for electrical work. Maybe in the new wing they were putting on Sloan. Tommy had picked it up, not knowing if it would be of any use at all. But considering it was him against two monsters, along with all the Quantrons, a little defense was better than no defense at all.

He peered out from behind the science building, watching Batarax, Power Driller, and the Quantrons venture into the road. He clamped his palms over his ears as Batarax unleashed a sonic blast, and cringed when he heard screams and the crunch of metal. Moments later, he moved his forearm over his eyes as Power Driller sent that giant drill bit through the road.

There was fresh smoke in the air. Tommy could taste it as he brought in a deep, shaky breath. His eyes shifted to Marchand Hall. Were Luke and Dana still inside? Hopefully not. Hopefully they'd heard all the commotion and gotten out. In a perfect world they'd be in a car, driving as far away from here as possible.

An anguished cry pierced the air. Tommy jumped, his attention turning to the sidewalk in front of Barton Road. A girl, she couldn't have been older than 18, was crouched over a boy about her age. She was sobbing. He wasn't moving. There was a good amount of blood on the pavement, and there was a large piece of con crete in the grass next to them.

His hand clenched the pipe tightly.

Once again, Tommy's body was moving before his mind could register it. Rushing out into the road, he leapt up on to the hood of an abandoned Chevy, spun the pipe into a ready position, and called out.

"Hey! Fruit Bat! Rhinoplasty! Over here!"

Batarax hadn't heard him in the commotion, but Power Driller had. The machine gripped his winged counterpart and pointed at Tommy.

Tommy hopped up on to the roof of the car. "You've done enough! Leave these people alone!"

"What is this?" Batarax growled as the Quantrons began to turn in Tommy's direction. "What are you supposed to be?"

Behind the monsters, Tommy could see students and civilians fleeing. That was good. That was what he wanted. Buy whatever time he could. Divert the attention of the most dangerous threats.

"I'm here to send you back to whatever cave you flew out of," Tommy shot back.

Batarax waved him off, dismissively. "Good luck with that. Quantrons! Take care of our delusional friend!"

Tommy recognized one of the massive blades the Quantrons regularly used as it swung at his ankles. He dove off the car, somersaulting over his attacker and landing on his feet. He shot a kick back and sent the Quantron back-first through the passenger's side window. Tommy quickly ducked as another robot tried to take his head off with its own blade. He swept the robot's legs. When it hit the ground, he followed up with a quick kick to the side of its head. When a third came at him unarmed, Tommy jutted the pipe out, striking the Quantron between its robotic eyes. It stumbled back, apparently dazed. This gave him a moment to hit a spinning heel kick, putting the robot down next to its comrades.

Initially, the monsters had kept moving. But now Tommy had their attention.

"Well, look at you!" Batarax cried. "A mildly formidable opponent! You might not be a Power Ranger, but you'll make an entertaining diversion!"

Another high-pitched screech filled the air. Tommy ducked and rolled, avoiding the blast. The car, along with the Quantron smashed through its window, skidded backward. Through the ringing in his ears, Tommy heard the girl from the sidewalk let out another scream. The car hadn't hit them. But it had come close. Tommy started to back away from Barton Road. Several yards away was a basketball court. No nearby vehicles, and a good amount of space to move. Things might be less risky there.

Pushing off a nearby tree, Tommy shot a kick into the head of an attacking Quantron. In his peripheral vision, he spotted another coming at him with a blade. Tommy held the pipe up, blocking a downward swing. He felt the copper strain and creak as it bent, nearly breaking. He kicked at the robot's knee, pushed it back, and promptly twisted the end of the pipe through it's eye. Still holding the other end, he threw the damaged Quantron into two of its approaching comrades. The pipe finally snapped. Tommy dropped the stub into the grass.

The monsters exchanged a quick look before Batarax shoved Power Driller toward Tommy. The cybernetic rhino took off into a run, its feet thundering on the ground. Its ginormous drill bit tusk was spinning. Timing it every-so-carefully, Tommy leapt out of the way. There was a loud crack as the monster went tusk-first into the tree. It threw its arms up as the massive tree trunk, limbs and all, came crashing down. The monstrous robot took the weight of the trunk on its shoulder, and there was a crunching sound as Power Driller went down on its back.

Tommy flipped an attacking Quantron, and then shot a fist into its chest. Batarax began to slowly advance. Tommy took a moment to look around. In the parking lot in front of Marchand, a group of students had assembled. They were just watching. Like gapers at a car crash. He fought the urge to yell to them. To tell them to run and get to safety. Rather, he began backpedaling toward the basketball court. If he couldn't get them to run, he could at least create some distance.

"Whoever you are, you are a fool," Batarax cried. "What is it you're trying to accomplish? Dark Specter's forces will soon rule over the entire universe! You're merely ensuring that you're one of the first to die!"

Dark Specter?

Batarax began flapping his wings. As the monster rose into the air, there came a series of loud rustling sounds. Tommy saw Power Driller push the tree off to its side. Seemingly using the distraction to his advantage, Batarax dove down at Tommy. He dove to avoid the attack, but he felt the claws on the monster's left hand dig into his hip. Rolling on to the grass, Tommy reached down and came up with blood. The wounds weren't deep, but they definitely hurt.

Keeping the recovering Power Driller in the corner of his eye, Tommy watched Batarax go up again. When monster dove a second time, Tommy backflipped out of his path and took off into a run. His flesh wound stung with each motion. But Batarax adjusted in midair and flew after him. Hearing the flapping of wings drawing closer, Tommy saw he was moving in the direction of the rec center, where there were undoubtedly people hiding out…

Tommy leapt and spun around in mid air. He felt most of the wind leave his body as Batarax's head and massive ears collided with his solar plexus. He reached around for something to grip hold of, scratching his skin on the spikey protrusions on the side of the monster's face. When he found the strange wing-like tissue on Batarax's chest, Tommy yanked, earning a squeal. The monster's massive hands gripped Tommy's wrists as they fell to the ground. Batarax let out a cry as he hit the ground awkwardly. They rolled through the grass a bit before separating.

Batarax was on his feet first, clutching his right shoulder. Tommy was slower, his body screaming at him. The monster reared back, and Tommy let himself drop to the ground as another sonic blast filled the air. A series of explosions came from behind him. Tommy dared not take his eyes off his opponent.

But he did. The sound of thunderous footsteps returned, and Tommy saw Power Driller charging again.

For a brief moment, Tommy froze.

Then he cried out in pain and nearly buckled. Something had stabbed his right thigh. Quickly looking down, he saw one of the spikes from Batarax's face laying near his foot. Whether it had been thrown or shot somehow, he couldn't tell. But he could feel the blood running down his leg. Or was that still from the wound in his hip?

Then Power Driller struck him. He was able to dodge the tip of the drill tusk, but the edges cleaved at his body, tearing his shirt. The monster's armor slammed hard into his ribs. Tommy felt something crack.

The world spun. He gasped for air. He felt a hand that had to be made of steel grab him by the hair. A howl tried to escape, but Tommy couldn't draw air into his body. He couldn't even reach up to try and alleviate the pain in his scalp.

Through blurred vision, he could see Batarax approaching. There was something in his hand. Probably another spike.

"Stupid, stupid human," the monster taunted. "Is _this_ allwe have to look forward to without the Power Rangers?"

Tommy took what he knew were his few remaining seconds to try and find peace with what was coming.

He tried. That's what Zordon would have wanted.

But there was no peace to be found. Only searing pain and the inevitability of death.

Batarax's voice drew closer. "I don't know who you are, human, but I almost admire your-"

There was the roar of a motor. Then a loud slam and the crunch of machinery. Batarax let out a roar, and Tommy's body hit the grass. And then…water? Tommy felt his skin pelted with water. But not a steady stream. It was ricocheting. Curling into a ball, he used his forearms to shield his face. Electricity crackled, and Tommy heard a fierce, electrically synthesized growl.

Were those sirens he was hearing?

Though he was finally able to breathe a bit, Tommy felt himself starting to lose consciousness when he felt someone pull him up by his under his arms. He winced and groaned, trying to protect his midsection.

"Easy Tom," Luke said. "We've gotcha."

His eyes popped open.

"Jeez," Percy said, trying to stabilize Tommy's lower midsection. "He's really bleeding. Bad. Maybe we should have some rubber gloves or something?"

Tommy felt himself lowered on to a big leather cushion. It took him a moment to realize he was in the backseat of a large vehicle.

"Yeah, sorry Percy," Dana's annoyed voice came from the driver's seat. "I didn't think to bring those. Come to think of it, I forgot the box of Cheezits. Should we go get those?"

Doors slammed, and the vehicle abruptly began moving.

"Easy!" Percy cried from the passenger's seat. "He's hurt! He tried to fight those things all by himself…"

Tommy groaned again. Trying to form words. He fell in and out of consciousness a few times before finally slipping into oblivion.


	10. Chapter 10

_**November 7, 1998  
INVASION DAY  
**_

The sun was going down. That was the first thing Tommy noticed when he stirred awake. The pinkish orange glow shone through the window behind him.

The second thing he noticed was how bad everything hurt.

"Rrrrgh," he grunted, reaching down and cupping at his ribs. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Nope," Luke said. "Sorry, dude."

Tommy had never broken his ribs before. But he was pretty sure this was what broken ribs felt like. Power Driller had gotten him on his right side. Breathing hurt. Moving hurt. Everything hurt. And that was just internally. He felt a sharp, raw pain near that same spot, and remembered the drill slicing at his skin, whatever that wound looked like, it probably wasn't pretty.

There was something around his body. A rib wrap of some kind. There was gauze pressing against his skin. Tommy shifted his weight, and was instantly reminded of the wound in his right leg. That had been bandaged as well. It felt hot. Probably because of swelling.

"Wha…how long have I…"

"Five hours," Luke said. "Five and a half, maybe. Dude, you're really heavy. You know that?"

"Where am I?" he grunted.

"Nurse's office."

Glancing around, Tommy saw Luke was right. He was laying on one of three recovery cots. Luke was sitting on a chair next to him, along with an assortment of medical tape, gauze, pill bottles.

The nurse's office meant they were in the administrative building. Not far incredibly far from where the fight had taken place.

Tommy winced, pushing himself on to his elbows. He took quick breaths. His leg throbbed.

"Your leg's not that bad, actually," Luke said. "Probably hurts like a mother. But it's not that deep. Dana says you probably have broken ribs, though."

"What's going on? What are you guys…what are you doing? How did you even find me?"

"Percy said you ran back to find us," Luke replied. "But I mean, we hadn't seen you. So we figured something must have happened."

"So…wait…did you hit that monster with Dana's car?"

"Naw, man. Dana did. You knew she drove a Hummer, right? Military grade. Her dad got it for her. Could mow down a brick wall."

Tommy frowned. "But what about the drill…guy?"

"Dude, the fire department was there! Cops too! They sprayed it with the hose!"

He nodded. That explained the water, of course. "Wait, the fire department? Why? What were they doing there?"

"They got a call," Dana's voice came from across the room. "From somebody important."

Dana plopped down on the bed next to Luke. She put a cell phone down next to her and rustled her pink hair. The product was coming out, and her normally gelled up fauhawk was now falling to one side.

"He says just to stay where we are," she said. "Ugh. I can't believe I had to call him."

Luke draped his arm around her. "You did good, kid. Real good."

Dana nodded. "Percy is using the front desk computer to get on the internet."

"What happened to the monsters? The robots? All of them?"

Dana and Luke exchanged uneasy looks.

"We don't know," Dana said. "It took the cops awhile to take down those robot soldiers. But Percy says they did it. And that big drill thing wound up attacking the fire department. Ripped the whole truck apart. But when the bat monster got up, I guess they retreated. There's been no sign of them since. Though to be fair, it's not like a lot of people are looking."

She fidgeted.

"Dad says everybody's completely overwhelmed. They aren't in Boston. But New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Angel Grove. They've all been taken. And the Power Rangers…."

Dana trailed off, seemingly not sure what to say. Percy picked it up as he walked in.

"Still no sign of the Power Rangers. Everybody's talking like they've either surrendered, or are dead."

Tommy put his head back on the pillow. He rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands. "They're not dead. They can't be. What about here? Do we know anything about casualties? How many people got off campus?"

"Not really," Percy said. "But there were a great many people in Greek Court when I left, and an even greater many getting off campus by foot. I did see a few people taken away in ambulances, though. The one or two that could get through, anyway."

Tommy locked eyes with him. "So there still might be people on campus that are hurt?"

Percy didn't seem to want to answer. "People are scared to go outside, Tommy. We haven't seen any cops around or anything. And we don't know if those monsters are still roaming around. I mean, they were hurt! They might still be holed up around here somewhere."

Tommy shook his head. "No. No way. We've got to get out. We've got to fan out and do a search. Check the residence halls, check the library, the science building, the-"

And then, the stabbing pain in his torso. Luke's hand was back on him, gently pushing him down.

"Dude, no," Luke said. "Hell no. Even if we wanted to go, we can't move you. You can barely walk, man."

"Then you leave without me!" Tommy snapped, loudly. His body instantly hated him for it. "We can't just sit here. Not if there are people out there that need us. Dana! You're pre-med! I bet you're the one who bandaged me up, right?"

Dana stared back at him.

"There are others you can help too. We don't know how long it's going to be until help arrives. So we've got to make due. Go building by building. Luke, you go with her. Stay together. You guys have cell phones, right? We'll use them to keep in contact. You'll call us every…15 minutes? If you see something, you run, you hide, you do whatever you need to do."

"What are you doing?" Dana asked, point blank. She hadn't taken her eyes off Tommy.

He stared back at her, his gaze firm.

"No, seriously," she continued. "What are you doing? An army of whatever those things are shows up, and you run at them with a stick? If we hadn't been there, you'd be dead!"

"I'm sorry," Tommy interjected. "I never meant to put you or anyone else in danger. But I didn't ask you to come save me."

She continued, unphased. "Are you serious?! The three of us just risked our lives!. And now you're barking out orders? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Tommy said nothing. Not because he didn't want to. There was simply nothing he could say.

Then Dana stood up. She was angry, but he could tell she was also nervous. "Tommy. I'm going to ask you a question. And you'd better tell us the truth. You owe us that much."

He knew what was coming. So he braced himself for it.

"Are you a Power Ranger?"

Percy's eyes nearly exploded from his skull. "What? What does that even- What do you mean?"

Luke gave Dana a look, clearly wishing he'd been let in on her suspicion. "Whoa. Hey, what the hell are you talking about?"

Tommy shook his head. "Listen, I can-"

"No!" Dana cried. Luke tried to shush her. But she continued. "You listen to me! You're from Angel Grove, but you barely talk about it! You've got this extensive training regimen every morning, right? But what are you training for? And then this happens, and you run out in the middle of it all? You try and take those things on yourself? Even now! You're trying to rally the troops and save everybody!"

He wanted to say she was wrong, and even started to form the words. But they wouldn't come.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Tommy," she challenged him, point blank. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Percy's mouth hung open. Tommy felt hot. Their eyes were all trained on him. Like spotlights. He may as well have been naked under them.

"Alright," Tommy got out, remembering to breathe despite the pain it caused. "Listen. That's…a long story, guys."

"I am the dumbest man alive!" Percy shouted, prompting harsh shushes from Dana and Luke. "I'm going to lose all my cred! How could I have missed it?"

"Percy stop!" Tommy's ribs painfully reminded him not to raise his voice.

He kept going. "He was right here! Right under my nose! In my own dorm!"

"Please, man," Tommy interjected. "Look, Dana's right. You guys deserve to know the truth. You saved my life out there. But right now, there could be people out there that really need help. Help that the Power Rangers can't give them. But we can. You can."

Dana's eyes continued to blaze a hole through Tommy.

"He's right," Luke said. "This is…man, this weird. I don't know if you've been lying to us, or what, Tom. But hey, if there are people out there, then we can help. It's the right thing to do."

Tommy could see the muscles in Dana's jaw clench.

Then came Percy. "It's what the Power Rangers would do."

Luke looked at Dana. "You good?"

She took a step toward Tommy, pointing in his face. "Fine. We'll do this. But when all this is over? You're telling us everything. I mean it. Everything."

The hair behind his neck prickled.

"Okay," he said, the hole in his gut expanding. "Everything."

"…these bonds we have forged are strong. Not just to our own nations, but to one other. So to our friends overseas, our hearts are with you. To those of us stateside, we must remain strong. The night is dark. But dawn will rise."

"Words from the president, broadcasting from an unknown location after the attack on the White House by forces from-"

Tommy waved to Percy. "Can we take a break for a sec?"

Percy turned the volume all the way down. He'd found this boom box in a nearby office, and had brought it in so they could stay updated on the larger conflict. That would be his role, they'd decided. To keep an eye on Tommy, and watch the bigger picture. He'd been using the computer in the next room to check for updates online.

The news was not good. The National Guard had been deployed, and overrun, in Washington DC. Based on reports, contact had been all but lost with the authorities in New York City, Chicago, and Angel Grove. Percy had also found a few photos of energy boxes similar to the one they'd seen in Greek Court. The big strategy had apparently been to cause a distraction with an aerial attack, then use the boxes to transport troops in for surprise ground assault. Obviously, one of the boxes intended for the Boston area had come down in Eagle Ridge with the crashed aircraft.

They'd made up for lost time, though. During Percy's last check, he'd read that monsters, Quantrons, and Pirhanatrons were currently swarming Boston, along with St. Louis and Orlando. None of the monsters sounded like Batarax or Power Driller. But there was no way to be certain. Not yet, at least.

And all of that was just in America. Reports were also coming from Cairo, Osaka, Mexico City, Mumbai, New Dehli, London…

Tommy glanced up at the clock. 12:14 a.m.

On the upside, Dana and Luke had been able to provide a little aid around campus. They were checking in as agreed, and had even circled back once for more supplies. As Tommy had surmised, various groups of people had been tucked away on campus, either hiding or hurt. Dana and Luke had found ways to help almost all of them. She cleaned cuts and performed makeshift stitch jobs. He had been tipping over vending machines and bringing food to those who needed it.

Tommy had been hoping to get word from police, emergency responders, or someone that could provide some real relief. But Dana and the others hadn't seen or heard anything. Percy had put out several calls, either getting busy signals or endless ringing.

Once again, help wasn't coming. They were on their own.

"Do you think it's true?" Percy asked. His voice had taken a grim tone Tommy had never heard from him before. "You think there are really camps? Like, prisoner camps?"

"I don't know, man," he said, fighting the urge to hide his head under the pillow. "If that is true, then I guess the silver lining is that they _are_ taking prisoners. They're not…doing anything else."

Percy let out a sigh that had an audible whimper in it. His clothes were still torn and dirty after what had happened at Greek Court.

"Do you know where they are?"

He almost answered with, "Who?" A silly question, given who he was talking to. Especially under these circumstances.

"No," he said, gingerly laying down on his back again.

"Really? I mean, you don't know anything?"

"No Percy! I don't know anything," Tommy snapped. He didn't want to. But he did. Because it was true. He was completely in the dark. Not just about TJ and the current Ranger team. But about his own family. He'd used Percy's phone to call home, but no one was answering. He was trying to push the various possibilities out of his mind.

And then there were Katherine, Jason, Adam, and the others. Where were they now? Were they safe? Had any of them tried to do what he'd done here?

He winced as he shifted his weight. Percy had found him some medication for the pain. But that was it. Tommy wasn't one to lean on drugs. But he couldn't even take a full breath. He needed something.

Percy was looking up at the window. Like he was searching for a sign.

"You know what's funny?" he asked.

Tommy frowned. "Funny? No, I don't."

He actually smiled a bit. "I always wanted to meet a Power Ranger. That's probably not a surprise, is it? But I actually had questions written down. About how the suits work. The different weapons, zords, monsters. All that stuff. I even wanted to know how you breathe in those helmets. I mean, there aren't any airholes. So how do you do it?"

Tommy wanted to object to Percy's line of thinking. This was not the time for an interview. If Dana was as serious as she'd seemed, he'd be spilling his guts plenty when the time came.

"I didn't want to go away to school," he continued. "I'm not really a people person. I'm usually happier talking to people online. Or reading. Or learning about the Power Rangers, and all the extraterrestrial presence on Earth. But my parents, my dad really, wanted me to have the college experience. So I ended up here."

Percy let out a chuckle. "Low and behold, I end up rooming with a Power Ranger. But I don't find out about it until the world ends."

Despite himself, Tommy smiled a bit.

"So anyway, thank you."

"What?"

"Thank you. I don't know what you did, or what Ranger you were or anything. I think I might be able to guess. But anyway, thank you for…your service? Is that how I'm supposed to put it? Thank you for being a Power Ranger."

Tommy wasn't sure how to respond. He'd never been in a situation quite like this before.

"Uh, your welcome Percy," he answered.

"I bet you were a really good one."

"I guess so," he answered, letting his gaze drift up at the ceiling.

"You probably miss it. Especially right now."

Tommy shut his eyes.

"I mean, why else would you have gone out there and done what you did? You fought those monsters without your helmet or your zord or anything. I sure as heck couldn't have done that."

He clenched his eyelids tightly.

"Man, if I'd been a Power Ranger, or if I could have been one…"

Percy's sentence trailed off.

"What?" Tommy felt the word burst from his body.

"Huh?"

Tommy opened his eyes and craned his neck toward Percy. "If you had been a Power Ranger, what would you do? What would you be doing right now?"

Percy stammered. "I, I don't know. I guess I would have done what you did. Gone out and done my best. Tried to help."

"It's not always that simple," he muttered, letting his head drop back on the pillow.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you do after you're a Power Ranger, Percy? You were part of this amazing thing. Your life was changed. The whole world was changed. But then it just ends. And you're supposed to go back to your normal life."

Tommy perched himself back up on his elbows, wincing at the nagging pain. "But how do you even have a normal life after that? You can't. So even if all of this turns out okay and the good guys win, what am I supposed to do? What do you become after you're a Power Ranger?"

Percy seemed genuinely stunned. So was Tommy. He'd asked himself those questions over and over for months. When they hadn't gotten him anywhere, he'd simply stopped asking, opting to bury them away instead. Baldwin had been his way of plowing forward. Leaving his old life behind in favor of this new one, wherever it might take him. But there were still no clear answers. Deep down, he worried there might never be.

"I dunno Tommy," he finally replied. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"I said I-"

"No, I mean, you were a Power Ranger, right? You fought Rita Repulsa, and Lord Zedd, and the Machine King, and whoever else you fought against. You probably had feasts with alien dukes and duchesses. You got to drive a zord and see other planets and places that we on Earth aren't even aware of yet. You got to save the world! Maybe the whole galaxy! Or the whole universe! It seems like if you could do all that, you could do just about anything! Be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a racecar driver, or whatever. Granted, I guess I can see how anything else would seem small by comparison…"

Percy's words landed like kicks to Tommy's chest.

"But I mean, what are you supposed to do? I think the answer is, anything you want!"


	11. Chapter 11

_**NOVEMBER 8, 1998  
THE MORNING AFTER INVASION DAY  
**_

" _What do you want to do?"_

Percy's words reverberated through Tommy's mind as sun peeked over the horizon. That, and his snoring. Tommy had insisted he at least shut his eyes for awhile. Sleep came quickly after that. Tommy made a point to speak more softly when Dana or Luke checked in.

" _What do you want to do?"_

It was such a simple question. But for so many years, Tommy had been trained to think more about others than himself. To place the wellbeing of total strangers before his own. So when all that responsibility was taken away, and it suddenly became about what _he_ wanted, he'd come up empty. Because he was still thinking like a Power Ranger.

He remembered what Dimitria said that last day.

" _As each Ranger reaches your stage of life, it becomes our duty to set them free to discover all that the world has to offer them."_

Even then, it had seemed like a hollow excuse. A push to be selfish. Set him free? Free from what? Being a hero? Saving people and making a difference? His calling in life?

His calling in life. That was what it all really came down to. Zordon had helped him find that. Then he'd taken it away. Forced him to give it to someone else. As such, Tommy had been left to drift aimlessly. His identity suddenly stripped away.

" _If you could do that, you could do just about anything!"_

"… _set them free to discover all that the world has to offer them."_

" _Anything you want!"_

Tommy shifted his weight, careful not to put too much stress on his ribs. He eyed the clock. 5:28 a.m. The others were due to check in shortly.

It had been over a year, and he was still thinking like a Power Ranger. Still defining himself as a Power Ranger.

But what was the point of being a Power Ranger if you couldn't enjoy the world you'd worked so hard to save?

Then, in his mind's eye, Tommy was surprised to see Abby. Just her face. She was wearing one of those headbands, and smiling at him. He found himself smiling back at her. Then worry clutched at him. After everything that had happened, she could very well be dead. All that apprehension he'd felt about something as simple as asking her out seemed pretty silly, given how things were now.

Tommy made a promise to himself. If he made it out of this alive, and Abby was okay…

The clock moved to 5:30. Tommy reached over and gripped Percy's phone. When he'd last spoken to Dana, she and Luke were making their way through Marchand. Near the Rec Center, fittingly enough. She'd sounded exhausted. This time, he'd tell them to come back. Take a break. Dana probably needed more supplies anyway. Bandages, gauze, etc. For only being pre-med, she'd done an astounding job. If only the higher-ups at Baldwin could see her now.

Dana knew what she wanted to be. Or at least it seemed like she did. A memory popped into Tommy's mind. That day at the library, Adam had joked with him about being a scientist. One of the Earth sciences. Geology, oceanography, maybe even cryogenics. Then Tanya had talked to him about being a teacher. They'd brought up martial arts too. Percy was right. Next to being a Ranger, it had all seemed so small. And maybe it was. But certain parts of them, bits and pieces, felt good. While saying they felt "right" might have been a stretch, at times they'd been really fun.

Fun. Now there was a concept.

It was 5:32. Dana and Luke were late. They hadn't been late all night. His grip tightened on the phone.

 _They found someone in trouble. They're just helping someone and have lost track of the time._

Helping people was important. Even before be'd been a Power Ranger, Tommy had been drawn to things like volunteer work and teaching youth classes. Being a Ranger had certainly brought out the best in him in that respect. In truth, that was one of the things that bothered him the most about not having his powers anymore. He felt useless. But maybe if he found something to really throw himself into, something to dedicate himself to-

The phone rang. The clock read 5:33. Alright. Three minutes wasn't so bad. Forgivable enough, given the circumstances. He pressed the button with the little green icon and held it up to his ear.

Tommy hadn't even gotten his first word out when he heard it. Dana's voice. Coughing. Choking.

"Dana?!" he cried, wincing but pushing through the pain in his torso. Percy instantly jerked awake.

More choking sounds from Dana. And then something else. A high pitched growl. A familiar one.

Tommy felt his blood run cold.

"Bring the Power Ranger out of hiding," Batarax's voice came from the other end. "Or it all burns. And you get to watch. From the inside."

"Dana!" Tommy shouted, disregarding the pain entirely. "Batarax! Stop! I'm the one you want! Leave her-"

Then came Luke's voice.

"Let her go you son of a-!"

There was a thud on the other end. The phone either moved or hit the ground. Then came a sound Tommy recognized as one of Batarax's sonic blasts.

Then, Dana's voice again. Hoarse. She wasn't saying anything. It was just a cry. A scream. But there was fear. There was rage. There was pain. Tommy had heard screams just like it before.

And then a click. The connection was lost.

Percy's voice was barely a whisper.

"What do we do?"

Tommy's life had flashed in front of his eyes before. Doing what he'd done for so long, it was almost inevitable. But this? This was different. This wasn't a flash at all. It was something else entirely

He wasn't sure how much time passed after Percy's question. Half a minute? A full minute? But in that span of time, while still consciously present with Percy at Baldwin, Tommy's mind and heart traveled elsewhere.

His family room. Not at the home his parents lived in now, but his old one. His childhood home. The one they'd packed up and left behind for Angel Grove. The one with the cream colored walls and the matching carpet he would always spill juice on as a little boy. With that hideous couch and the recliner facing the TV. And a few feet away from the TV? A Christmas tree. That was where they always put it. When he was a little boy. About five years old.

Looking around, Tommy saw his family. But what he was seeing, how they looked, it didn't make sense. His mother and father, his uncle John, even his maternal grandparents. They all looked the way he remembered them when they'd been in this room with him. There was no gray in his father's hair as he sat next to the tree. His mother was wearing that pink nightgown he'd seen in pictures from Christmas morning. His grandmother was lucid and lively.

But at the entrance to the kitchen? David. Tommy's brother, who he'd only known for a short time, looking just as he did when Tommy last saw him. On the other side of the room next to the front door, Sam Trueheart. And behind Sam, two figures. Two people that, even looking directly at them, Tommy couldn't bring into focus. Tommy's heart overflowed.

As a Power Ranger, whenever Tommy's life would flash in front of him, he would feel a measure of pride, love, happiness. But there was something else too. Something he didn't like admitting was even there.

Regret.

No matter where he was, or when it was, Tommy always felt he could have done more, and could continue do so much more. Now, standing in this room with the people he loved, he felt his joy tarnished by that regret.

Kneeling down in front of the Christmas tree, Tommy took his mother's hands in his. The pain he felt with Percy in the nurse's office was no where to be found.

"I…I love you both so much," he said. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked out at the room. "I love all of you. And I'm so sorry. I should have told you. I never meant to hide myself from you. I wanted to protect you. But then after it ended, I was afraid you'd hate me. I couldn't hold it against you if you did. I hope someday you'll understand."

They looked back at him. But their eyes, their faces, registered nothing. They were only memories, after all.

As quickly as the room materialized, it faded. Tommy then found himself in another familiar place.

The Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar. Ernie's.

The walls near the bar were that familiar shade of teal. The big logo with the milkshake hung above the entrance. And next to the bar, the arcade. The mats were spread out across the activity space, indicating some kind of class had taken place recently. The balance beam was there too. Tommy could almost hear the music playing.

But it wasn't. The building was sparsely filled. And those who were there weren't sipping smoothies or getting in shape before school started. They were looking at Tommy. Just as his family had.

First, a group of seven, all with chairs pulled up at one of the purple round tables in front of the bar.

Justin, with the same bowl cut he had when Tommy first saw him. Zack and Trini, looking just as he remembered them that day he first joined the team. Aisha with her braided hair and overalls. And then Tanya, Rocky, and Adam, as if he'd come up to them during a study session senior year. They were like memory fragments assorted in front of him.

"Thank you," Tommy announced to them. "Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for being there next to me when it mattered the most. And thank you for being my friends."

He patted his chest, above his heart. "I carry you with me every day."

Tommy put his hand on Adam's shoulder as he moved to the bar. Sitting there was the Blue Ranger. His helmet sat on the counter beside him. He wasn't wearing his glasses.

"I think in a lot of ways, Billy, you showed me what being a hero is all about. It's not just about how hard and how well you fight. It's about what you bring to the table that makes you unique. And none of it would have been possible without you, man."

Further down the bar, Katherine. She was leaving for London all over again. Tommy took her hand.

"You…you deserved more," he said, looking at his feet for a moment. "But I gave you everything I had to give. Because even though it took a little time, I really did love you. I hope you know that."

Walking into the activity space, Tommy found Jason next to the punching bag. They slapped hands.

Looking at his freshman year haircut, Tommy couldn't help but smile a bit. Trini had once jokingly called it "the pompadour."

"This is corny as heck, but thank you for being my hero," Tommy told him. "For inspiring me, pushing me, and for being my bro. I hope you remember me at my best, and now how I was at the cabin."

There was someone in the entryway now. Someone who hadn't been there when Tommy came in. He knew who it was, though. They'd kissed under mistletoe hanging at that very spot.

To him, she would always be the girl who came to see him at the pond after he'd lost his powers. The girl he'd had his first kiss with, and the one he'd woken up like prince charming after revealing himself as the White Ranger. His first love. His first heartbreak.

Kimberly.

She was in that pink plaid dress too. From the pond. The one she'd worn when he picked her up and spun her around.

"We should have talked about it," he said. "During the Divatox thing. It seemed like you wanted to. But I couldn't. I guess I wasn't ready. It wasn't fair for you to break up with me with that letter. I didn't deserve that after all we'd been through. But I wasn't always the perfect boyfriend either. So it's not fair for me to expect perfection from you."

He'd practiced this little speech a million times since that letter came.

"I want you to know that when I think of you, I think of the good times. I hope you've found the happiness you deserve, Kim. I'm sorry we never got to patch things up."

Tommy gave a little wave to Bulk and Skull at the arcade before the Juice Bar faded, and he found himself surrounded by blinking control panels. Turning around, he saw the viewing globe, and next to it Alpha 5. He grinned at his old robot companion before turning to face the blue energy tube. As with all the other faces he'd seen, Zordon simply looked back.

"Thank you. And…I'm sorry."

"Tommy?!"

With a blink, Tommy was back in the nurse's office. Percy stared incredulously.

"Tell me you're not actually thinking of going out there?"

Tommy knew what he was going to do. He'd known it the second he'd heard Batarax's words. It wasn't exactly a good plan. But it was the only one he had. The dread and the naked fear had already begun to envelope him from the inside out, along with the pain wracking his body. But Tommy pushed back against it all. He had to stay clearheaded. Not think about it. Discard the thoughts about his future.

He grunted as he pushing his legs out over the bed. Tommy touched his leg wound over the bandage. Though it wasn't deep, the pain and the swelling hadn't subsided. Between that and his ribs, whatever came next wasn't going to be fun.

But if he wanted to see that future, he was going to have to fight for it. Or die trying.

"Percy, I need you to do two things, alright man?"

"What?" Percy asked, clearly distracted by Tommy getting ready to stand. Putting his left foot down, Tommy held his right one off the ground so as not to put weight on it. He reached out and put his hand on Percy's shoulder, using him for balance. He slowly lowered weight on to his right foot. He winced, drawing in a quick breath. As Tommy suspected, weight could be put on it. Just not his full weight.

"I need you to see if you can find a crutch, or something to help me walk."

Percy shook his head frantically. "Tommy, there's no way-"

"And I need you to break a window."


	12. Chapter 12

Cracks reached up the windshield of Dana's Hummer, a result of the car colliding with Batarax. So as Percy drove, he had to swivel his head in between them to see where they were going. The hood and front grill had been compressed backward, a crumbled mosaic of metal. Broken plastic too, as both headlights had been smashed. All this meant the car wasn't going to be incredibly safe for Percy and the others to drive off campus. They'd have to get moving quickly to conserve as much daylight as possible.

Hopefully this would be over with quickly, one way or the other.

A lamppost had fallen into the road behind the administrative building, so Percy had to pull on to the grass to go around it. The car bobbed over a combination of bumps in the Earth and rubble. Tommy's ribs cried out with each one.

Percy winced, giving Tommy quick fleeting glances. "Sorry! I'm trying to- yeesh!"

Tommy waved it off. "It's fine, man."

"Are you sure that's where he'll be?" Percy asked. Rolling his window down, he poked his head out to get a clear, if not straightforward view in front of him. Percy weaved back on to the main road, heading up toward the Cultural Arts Center. Once there, he'd be able to take a right toward Barton Road.

"No," Tommy replied bluntly. He'd made a guess about where to find Batarax, albeit an educated one. "But that's the last place he saw me. It makes sense to at least start there."

Tommy wasn't looking at Percy, but rather at the havoc Batarax, Power Driller, and the Quantrons had caused. To the west, a cloud of black smoke drifted above the small and unassuming campus police station. Near the adjacent student apartment complex, multiple vehicles had either been pushed ajar, turned over, or smashed/dented in some way. On the complex itself, one of the patios was a blackened shamble.

Looking over to the Cultural Arts Center, Tommy could see into the concert hall through a hole punctured in the brick wall. Most of the windows had been broken.

In the distance ahead, a smaller fire burned. Tommy recognized it as coming from the garden next to the science building, a favorite walking spot for students.

He took a bit of solace in not seeing any bodies. Tommy had been trying not to think about how many had died on the Baldwin campus in the last 24 hours. To say nothing of what was happening around the world…

Percy carefully made the turn in front of the science building. They had just barely made it to the Barton Road intersection when Tommy saw it. Power Driller's hulking frame. It was still a good distance away in the Marchand Hall parking lot. But it was unmistakable. And then, Batarax. Standing atop a car.

"There," Tommy said, directing Percy toward Marchand.

"You were right," he replied, his guard clearly going up.

"Remember, they wanted to be found. Pull over to the right, and then we can- Watch out!"

Percy hit the brake, the seatbelt jarring Tommy's ribs harder than ever. But the car stopped just in time to avoid hitting Dana, who had rushed out in front of them. She slammed her hands against the mangled hood.

"Luke," she weeded. Tommy barely even heard her. "They've got Luke."

Tommy and Percy got out and came around. There were cuts and scrapes on Dana's neck, and Tommy's mind darted back to the choking sounds he heard on the phone. The neckline of her shirt and her stockings were torn, and her boots were caked with dirt. Her pink hair was a disheveled mess.

Percy tried to catch her, but Dana slumped against the busted hood of the jeep and slid down on her butt. She began to sob.

"They've…they've got Luke," she pushed out between gasps. "Told me…told me they'd kill him if I didn't bring you here in an…in an hour."

Tommy looked back toward Marchand. Both Batarax and Power Driller were now looking directly at them. They weren't moving. They didn't need to.

Dana reached up and grabbed him by the forearm.

"Please," she whispered. "He…he helped me. He helped people last night. Please save him…"

Tommy felt his heart sinking. He looked back at the parking lot, and then down at Dana. Pulling a deep breath in his lungs, he felt his torso jab back.

"I'll do everything I can," Tommy said. "I promise."

He looked over at Percy. "Remember what we talked about."

Percy nodded. "I will. But Tommy, what are you going to do? If Luke is-"

Tommy gave a little shrug. "I'll wing it. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right?"

With that, he turned and began limping away. Over his shoulder, he heard Percy call after him, "Good luck!"

At that, Tommy somehow legitimately smiled. Good luck. Like it was a karate match.

He took stock of his injuries: His ribs were a problem, obviously. Dana had taped them up last night, but Tommy didn't expect that to help much. Before they'd left, Percy had helped him wrap the gash on his leg. Walking on it was painful. But he could do it. Adrenaline would help at first. But when that initial burst ran out…

Tommy reached down and patted his right pocket. Still there.

The Marchand Hall lot was a few dozen yards away. Passing the grassy area where their fight had ended just hours earlier, Tommy saw the tree Power Driller had rammed into. He could just make out the tire treads where Dana, Luke, and Percy had driven in, rammed Batarax, and then sped off.

Then, half of a fire engine. Overturned. The other half was scattered across the basketball court in pieces.

The monsters had done some rearranging. They'd pushed all the vehicles in the parking lot out toward the edges, tipping some over in the process. They'd formed a circle, a giant metallic barrier, around themselves. The sole exception was the vehicle, a truck, that Batarax was standing on.

Coming to the perimeter, Tommy climbed on to the hood of a car and stood up. He locked eyes with Batarax. At the monster's feet was the flatbed of the truck. And on it, Luke. Unconscious. His shirt had changed from blue to dark red. Tommy felt his rage bubble to the surface.

"The human is alive," Batarax called. "Stupid, but alive."

A metallic grumbling came from beside the truck. Power Driller stood on the ground to Batarax's right. The monster crossed its arms, and Tommy could hear a muffled grinding sound from its inner collision with the tree had partially mangled its "tusk" drill. Next to Power Driller's face, some of its innards had been exposed.

Tommy resisted the urge to look and see if Dana and Percy were where he'd left them. Getting Luke out of here would be almost impossible. This whole thing was almost impossible.

He stepped up on to the roof of the car he'd climbed on, and then stepped forward from car to car. Once he was four deep, he was able to hop down to the concrete. But he held his ground atop a heavily dented Honda Civic.

Luke was breathing. But he was struggling.

"Alright," he called. "I'm here. There's no reason to keep him here any longer."

"Lady Astronema now rules over this pitiful little planet," Batarax spat back. "Even as we speak, more human blood is being spilled. Whether this human lives or dies depends on how well he can serve the United Alliance of Evil."

Batarax was gesturing with his left arm. His right was clenched close to his torso. As he spoke, Tommy tried to recall which arm had been the monster's dominant one.

"You on the other hand?" Batarax continued. "You'll be very useful, Power Ranger. It's Tommy, isn't it?"

Power Driller grumbled an affirmative.

"Yes," the monster continued. "Tommy Oliver. When we reported in, that's the name the Machine Empire database came back with. And my, it was a lengthy file! Different powers. Different costumes. Even different allegiances! Imagine, not only do we run into a Power Ranger, but a Power Ranger that used to work for Rita! Perhaps you'll get lucky, and she'll have you back as a slave!"

"I'm not a Power Ranger anymore," Tommy said. "I'm useless to you! So is everyone on this campus! You're wasting your time!"

"I think that's for Lady Astronema to decide," Batarax replied, then looked down at Power Driller. "Don't you?"

The robot seemed to respond positively, and Tommy put his hands over his head.

"Alright then. Take me wherever you need to. Let's just leave this place."

Batarax turned his head and let loose one of his sonic blasts. Tommy covered his ears just in time to avoid the crashing sound, as one of the upper corners of Marchand Hall came crumbling down. The abrupt motion caused a sharp pain in his torso.

The monster pointed at him. "You're not the one giving demands here, Ranger! I am!"

Power Driller made a noise, and Batarax rolled his eyes. "Fine! _We_ are! Keep your hands above your head, and walk this way."

Tommy sat down and slid down the side of the car. His eyes were on Luke.

"Take him," Batarax said to Power Driller. The metallic brute lumbered over and grabbed Tommy by the right wrist, his metallic fist like a vise. Clumsily, the robot pulled Tommy over to the car, his other hand still in the air. Tommy grunted, his ribs resisting. He got a fleeting peek inside one of the holes in the monster's armor. It was right next to his left eye.

Glancing down at his right pocket again, Tommy made a mental note.

Power Driller twisted his arm behind his back, and then grabbed the other one and pulled it into the same position. Feeling how tight the robot's grip was, he asked himself a question about risk.

Batarax jumped down off the truck, and stood before Tommy. The monster had sharp yellow teeth. He'd been lucky enough not to notice that before.

"It's over, Power Ranger," Batarax hissed. "Earth's resistance? It crumbled almost effortlessly when faced with just a portion of the Alliance's full might."

Tommy tugged at Power Driller's grip a bit. It had next to no give. He nodded down at Batarax's arm.

"What happened there? Car accident?"

Growling, Batarax brought his face close to Tommy's. His breath smelled like something not of this world.

"Let's see what jokes you have when you see what's become of your fearless leader, Zordon."

Tommy's blood went cold.

Then, a groan came from the back of the truck Batarax had been standing on.

Luke.

Batarax looked back, obviously not expecting what he heard. "Hrrm. You know, Power Ranger, you're right. We really have no use for this spare human. I think we'll just have to-"

The monster's front teeth sliced the flesh on Tommy's hairline when he thrust his skull forward, smashing into Batarax's face. A fraction of a second later, he shot a back kick above Power Driller's right knee. As Tommy expected, neither the leg nor the joint gave way. But when Tommy pushed his weight back against the monster, it lost its balance and fell back. Its grip on Tommy' s right arm held firm. But its grip on his left didn't.

He let out a wail of agony as his torso came down on Power Driller's armor. What's more, a surge of panic raced through him as he heard something clink on the cement next to him. Frantically reaching down, he found it. The item he'd brought in his pocket.

A shard of glass. He'd made Percy break a window for him. His original thought was to use it on Batarax's throat to neutralize the sonic scream. But he was winging it. Reaching upward, he stabbed back at the hole in Power Driller's armor.

The metal screeched, and Tommy felt the glass snap. Power Driller made a series of angry grumbles before his mechanical voice box went silent. The robot's free arm fell lifeless beside him. The other one remained locked on Tommy's right wrist.

Batarax began to regain his composure as Tommy rolled over, Power Driller's dead arm contorting as it followed him. Frantically, he tried to pull himself free. But his body simply wasn't at full strength. He yanked at Power Driller's dead fingers, loosening the thumb. In his peripheral vision, he thought he saw Batarax spitting out a tooth as he drew a breath in.

Tommy knew what was coming. His instincts kicked in. He tried a somersault over Power Driller's prone body, using momentum and his last bit of strength to try and pull the robot up in front of him.

When the screech came, Power Driller's shoulder smacked Tommy in the forehead. As his vision went blurry, he realized they were airborne. His body collided with something, and there were cracking sounds from inside his body. A high pitched ringing filled his ears.

Tommy registered that Power Driller's back had taken the brunt of the sonic blast. He struggled to concentrate, regain some composure. But the pain in his body was nearly unbearable. It was as if someone had jammed something sharp and searing through his sternum. HIs shoulder. His arm. There was blood in his mouth.

Time passed. How much time? He couldn't tell.

Then a form the same size and color as Batarax loomed over him. Tommy's breath quivered. This was it.

But then, something else. In the distance. Something golden. Like a wave. But how? Was it sunlight? No, it couldn't be.

Batarax cried out, and then Tommy felt it. Power. Morphological energy. And amidst it, a familiar feeling. A presence, almost.

He choked out one last word before everything went black.

"Zor….don?"


	13. Chapter 13

Tommy was slow to regain cognizance. First there was a white blur. Then it was mixed with other blurs.

And voices. Familiar ones.

"-separated shoulder-"

"How could he have even-"

"-parents or relatives-"

Slowly, _very_ slowly, but surely, he came back.

He almost wished he hadn't. The searing pain he remembered was still there. It was worse. A lot worse. In trying to get comfortable and relieve it, he realized his right arm was in a sling.

Then the world began to spin. Tommy tried to lean over and let it out over the bed. But his body rebelled against him. Suddenly, something came up under his chin.

His body heaved. Very little came up. Mostly saliva. But that didn't mean it felt any better. He dropped back on the pillow and felt himself drift away again.

The second time Tommy came back, things felt nice. Really nice.

"There he is."

His eyelids dragged upward, and there was Mom. Clutching his hand, which he just now realized had an IV in it.

"Well, he looks happier," he heard his Uncle John say. "That's a good thing, right?"

"He may not even realize he's awake," Dad replied. "Apparently they gave him a pretty healthy

dose."

Tommy tried to say something, but Mom shushed him.

"It's okay, honey," she said. "Just relax. Don't try to talk. Don't exert yourself. You got beat up pretty badly."

She squeezed his hand a little harder. "But you're okay. You're here now. You're safe."

When Tommy's voice came out it was barely a whisper. "L…Luke?"

There was a pause.

"Does he think you're Luke?" Uncle John asked.

"Luke is okay too, Tommy," Mom answered. "He's down the hall. He was in the ICU for a little while. You were too. But he's going to be okay."

"D…Dana?"

She shushed him again. "Your friends, your roommates, they're fine honey. Please, just sit here with us for a minute. Don't try to talk."

But Tommy had one more question.

"How…how long?"

Mom looked a little frustrated.

"Five days, kid," Uncle John said. "You'e been out for five days."

Dad touched his shoulder. "We'll fill you in later, son. For now, we're just glad you're back."

In the days afterward, details trickled into Tommy's room.

Emergency services had arrived at Baldwin about two hours after he'd passed out. Dana had tended to both he and Luke as best she could. Apparently, the doctors were amazed by what she'd been able to do. Not just with Tommy and Luke, but all the others on campus. They'd been taken by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Military forces around the world had been overwhelmed by Astronema's forces. In the United States alone, the national guard, army, marine corps, and air force had been caught off guard, and as such devastated. That was to say nothing of local law enforcement. On the news, Tommy saw pictures of various breeds of monster, along with Quantrons and Pirhanatrons. There was also Astronema herself, a pale human clad mostly in black, with robotic enhancements of some kind.

The fighting had gone on for roughly 20 consecutive hours, until something bizarre yet miraculous had occurred. A wave of golden energy had apparently swept over the entire planet, reducing Astronema's entire army to dust. The sole exception seemed to be Astronema herself. There was a great deal of speculation over how she survived. No one on TV had any real answers, though Tommy suspected he knew who did.

There was footage Andros carrying Astronema off her command ship. At one point, she'd changed. She went from the dark figure of Astronema, to a healthy looking young blonde woman.

There was also a widely circulated photo of TJ, Ashley, Carlos, Cassie, and a blonde boy Tommy had never seen. They were standing on a rooftop. The first time Tommy saw it, there was a caption on the screen that read, "We are the Power Rangers."

He wasn't sure what that revelation meant for him. But he suspected he'd soon find out…

 _ **DECEMBER 23, 1998  
**_ _ **43 Days After the Invasion**_

It had been over a year since Tommy had been back in Angel Grove. Since he'd been home.

In almost every direction, there was a memory. Some were good. Some were bad. Some lingered for a few moments. Others came at him so rapidly he barely even registered them. But Tommy drove around and took them in.

The spot where the "Welcome to Angel Grove" sign should have been. It was destroyed during the invasion.

Angel Grove High School. Where it had all started, really.

Billy's house. Did his parents still live there? Tommy didn't know.

The Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar. It was called the Surf Spot now.

The park, which had practically been a haunted house of memories the last time he was there. He wondered how it might feel now.

Pulling his truck into the parking lot under the street light, Tommy turned the car off and sat for a moment. For now, he was content to see those sights from a distance. He hadn't yet decided how much of his Christmas vacation would be spent getting reaquainted with Angel Grove. But he had time. One way or another, this place was a part of him. When Tommy looked around Angel Grove, he saw ghosts.

But not all ghosts were evil.

He checked his watch. 11 pm on the dot. (Who said Tommy Oliver was always late?) In the darkness, he could see the thin silhouette of a man in a jacket and baseball cap. He was leaning against a tree next to a picnic table. Getting out of his car, Tommy gave him a wave. He waved back.

This was where they'd last seen each other. Fitting he would ask to meet Tommy here. If not a bit awkward.

"Hi," the man said, looking up from under the brim of the hat.

"Hi Andros," Tommy replied. Then he extended his hand. "I'm glad you're okay."

A second passed before Andros reached out and shook it.

"Thanks," he said. "You too."

Tommy had only been home a few hours when he got the call that afternoon. It was a number he didn't recognize. Hearing TJ's voice on the other end had floored him. Emotionally, this was already a pretty big day. But this was something different entirely. There hadn't been a lot of pleasantries exchanged. It hadn't been much more than "Andros wants to talk."

Andros looked funny in a baseball hat, considering the quaint head of hair he had underneath. But Tommy understood. Ashley Hammond, Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson, Carlos Vallerte, and Cassie Chan were now household names. The other one, the Silver Ranger, was named Zhane. As he and Andros weren't from Earth, they didn't have records to dig into. But their faces had been seen on television. These were the Power Rangers. The first ones to go public, at that. These were the faces behind the helmets. As such, the Space Rangers were under a harsh spotlight. Not just them, but their families. A few days ago, Tommy had seen a clip of reporters trying to follow Ashley's mother into a supermarket. That was to say nothing of the alleged closed-session UN security council interviews they'd had to undergo.

It was easy to feel for them. Tommy and the others could easily have been in their position. He'd talked with Jason, Adam, and Tanya since the invasion. They had considered going public themselves in support of the Space Rangers. But the when Adam and Tanya had spoken to Carlos, Ashley, and the others, the idea had been nixed for fear of making everything worse.

"I heard about what happened at your school," Andros said. "I was sorry to hear that you had to go through that. But you handled it admirably. Beyond admirably."

Tommy started to say something, but Andros interjected.

"And I'm sorry about what happened here, Tommy."

Andros looked back at the spot in front of the tree where their skirmish had happened. "That was a confusing and overwhelming time. I'd never led a team of Rangers before. On an entirely different planet, no less. But you were only trying to help."

He shrugged. "It's alright, man. You were right. I wasn't in a good mindset. My head wasn't clear. In the long run, it was probably good you did what you did. For both of us."

"To be fair," Andros said, letting out a sigh. "I wasn't entirely clear on who you were or what you had done. This planet's history with Power Rangers, it's very convoluted at times. Different Rangers, different powers, different zords."

Tommy chuckled. "Yeah. You're right about that."

"That's not how it is where I'm from," he continued. "But the more I learned about this planet, the worse I felt about our altercation here. Especially your reaction to Zordon's name."

There was a change in Andros' demeanor. Not in the way he spoke or stood. But something else. He was having trouble with eye contact.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you again," Andros said. "Because I think you deserve to know. All the Earth Ranger's deserve to know."

Tommy couldn't tell if Andros wanted him to brace for the impact of what he was about to say, or if he was getting up the gumption to say it.

Either way, Tommy felt for him. So he took the burden off his shoulders.

"Zordon's gone," Tommy said.

Andros was clearly startled. "What? How did you know?"

With those words, Andros confirmed it. Tommy hadn't been positive. He had no proof. But when the golden wave touched him that day, something felt familiar. It wasn't anything exact, it there'd been something there. Even in the shape he'd been in, he recognized it.

" _I believe the only way possible is to infuse Tommy with an enormous amount of my own energy."_

He hadn't said anything to the others. Not even Jason. Because he wasn't sure, and that wouldn't be fair to them. But Tommy wondered if, deep down, they knew too. He hadn't been the only one who had been exposed to that energy, after all. But when he'd thought about Zordon these past few weeks, and Alpha too, Tommy had felt an imaginary weight press down on him.

Tommy thought Andros would be relieved. He wasn't. Not totally, at least. He ambled over to the picnic table they'd been at with TJ over a year ago. Tommy was a few paces behind him. Facing outward, Andros sat and looked down at his folded hands.

"I killed him."

"What?" Tommy thought he'd misheard.

"I killed him. I killed Zordon."

Tommy wasn't sure how to process that information. That idea, that possibility, hadn't even occurred to him. It was unfathomable.

"What do you mean?" he finally asked, staying calm despite his body tensing up. "What do you mean you killed Zordon?"

Andros' voice took on an eerie stillness.

"It was too much for us. Dark Specter, the Alliance, Kar-…Astronema. They were everywhere. They mounted one of the largest scale assault forces in recorded history. It stretched across multiple star systems. Eltar. Aquitar. Triforia. Edenoi. All their forces were combined and coordinated. The Machine Empire, Master Vile, Zedd and Rita, Divatox. It was like they opened the floodgates to the underworld."

Tommy felt a chill run up his body.

"We had warning. Zordon, Dimitria, the Council, all of us. There was a message, supposedly from the future. But we still weren't ready. They caught us completely by surprise. We almost lost everything. _Everything_."

Andros rubbed his eyes and cheeks with both hands. His body looked like it might buckle from sheer exhaustion.

"They had Zordon. I found him. He didn't even hesitate. 'Shatter my energy tube.' He said the energy inside would save us. Counteract everything on their side."

Tommy's mind flashed back to conversations with Alpha and Billy about the balance of positive and negative energy in the Morphin Grid.

"I didn't want to do it."

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut.

"But I had to. There was no other way."

The energy wave that day. It had come from Zordon. He'd found a way to save them all one last time by sacrificing himself.

When Tommy opened his eyes, Andros was looking up at him.

"I'm sorry, Tommy," Andros said. "Zordon is dead. Because we failed."

Tommy had been prepared, or as prepared as he could have been, to hear Zordon had died. He'd accepted it on some level, figuring he'd gone down fighting for the things he'd dedicated his life to, and taught the Power Rangers about. Justice. Compassion. Truth. Coming together for the common good.

But suicide?

Tommy would never see or speak to Zordon again because he'd committed suicide?

No. Not suicide, he realized. Self sacrifice. For the common good. Tommy had been prepared to do the same thing at Baldwin. He hadn't wanted to do it, of course. But if it was what had to be done…

He thought of Percy, who had helped get him out in front of Batarax and Power Driller. Tommy'd had a plan of sorts. But they both had known the truth. Odds were he wasn't coming back. He never wanted to put Percy in that position, but he'd trusted him to bear that burden for the common good.

But could he have asked Percy to kill him? Could he have left him with that kind of scar for the rest of his life?

If Zordon had asked, could Tommy have shattered that energy tube?

He sat down next to Andros.

"You didn't fail," Tommy said. "None of you did. Sounds like the opposite to me. I think if Zordon were here, he'd tell you the same thing."

Andros nodded, obviously not convinced. But Tommy hoped someday he would be.

For a long time they listened to the sounds of a tranquil winter's night in Angel Grove.

As good a night as any for mourning.


	14. Chapter 14

_**JANUARY 15, 1999**_

 _ **69 Days after the Invasion.**_

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Not even just to try it?"

"The minute it's over, you'll hate yourself."

"What makes you say that?" Tommy asked, looking into the mirror and then back at Luke.

"Just trust me," Luke said, rubbing his hand over the stubble on his scalp. "You don't want to cut your hair."

"It's been this way for a long time, though," Tommy replied, turning and walking past him. "I was thinking of maybe trying something different. Maybe the spiky-haired look?"

Tommy heard Luke scoff as he pulled a green button-up on over his tank top. "Naw, dude. You know what I'd do if I were you? Dreadlocks. Like Jonathan Davis."

"The guy from Korn?"

"Yeah. You wanna try something? Try that."

He pulled his book bag off the bed, and looked at Percy, who was hunched over his laptop on his own bed. "What do you think?"

Percy didn't look up at him. "I think it's amazing how you can do the things you've done and still be so concerned about your hair."

He had a point. But it was the first day of a new semester. Tommy was only human after all. And you never know who he might run into…

Despite their best efforts, the school didn't have Marchand Hotel in working order yet. So Baldwin was paying for them to stay at a hotel for the time being. Tommy and Percy had ended up in a room together. Percy spent most of his time online, as he'd apparently become a celebrity of sorts among his community of "fans." Meanwhile, Luke was down the hall with a roommate of his own.

They heard an electronic buzzing sound from the bathroom, and Tommy and Percy reacted almost in simultaneously.

"You can _not_ shave here!" Percy shouted, beating him by a fraction of a second.

"C'mon!" Luke called back. "They guy they put me with is on me about the hair in the sink!"

"So are we!" Tommy replied.

"At least Tommy cleans his out of the shower drain!" Percy added. He thought about something a second, then turned to Tommy. "You know, maybe you _should_ cut it."

"We'll see." He pulled the bag strap over his shoulder and nodded to Percy. With that, he was off to Humanities.

When the elevator dinged, he was halfway down the hall and looking down at his schedule. He almost didn't recognize the girl who stepped out.

It was Dana Mitchell. But not the Dana Mitchell he'd last seen in the hospital. Her formerly pink hair was now blonde, and she was starting to grow it out. There was no eyeshadow or lipstick. Her usual black t-shirt had been swapped out for a pink button-down. She wore a knee-length gray skirt, with black boots that looked a lot nicer than her old ones. The one thing she'd kept the same were her fishnets.

"Whoa," was all he could muster at first, before recovering with. "Hey Dana! This is…I mean, this is different!"

She gave him a little eye-roll. "Thanks, I think. Luke in his room?"

"Ours actually." Tommy pointed to the room he'd just left. "Room 109."

"Cool," she answered, unenthusiastically. Sometimes that was just Dana. But Tommy felt compelled to be sure.

"You okay?" he asked, shifting the bag.

"Yeah. Just a long day ahead of me, I guess."

"Makes sense. Hopefully I'll see you after class, Dana."

Tommy gave her a wave and kept for the elevator.

There was a soft beeping sound, and then he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Tommy."

Then came the ever-familiar sensation of teleporting. As always, the entire experience took about a second.

Tommy felt a surge of adrenaline as he found his feet again. For a brief instantly, yellow morphological energy crackled in his peripheral vision. He jerked away from Dana and threw off his book bag. It was only then that he noticed the device on her wrist. Too big to be a watch, but small enough to be mistaken for one.

They were in a room with walls made of a kind of furnished metal. There were heavy doors on both ends, and in the middle was a long wooden table and several chairs. It looked like a meeting or a conference room of sorts.

"Tommy, it's alright," Dana reassured him. But she was obviously nervous. "No one's going to hurt you."

Continuing to move back, Tommy's waist bumped something solid. Whirling around, he saw a control panel and a large blank vlewscreen.

"Dana, what's goin' on?" Tommy demanded. He bent his knees a bit. A preparatory move, should the situation require him to act quickly. "What is this place?"

There was a hissing sound as pressure released, and the door at the far end of the room rose. A man in what looked like a black naval uniform, hat and all, walked in. An inch or two shorter than Tommy, he had a brown mustache and a faint scar on his right cheek. His hands were clasped behind his back.

"It's alright Mr. Oliver," he announced. "You're safe here." The man's voice had a calm, almost nurturing demeanor to it. Dana's posture straightened when he walked in.

"Easy for you to say," Tommy shot back.

The man took off his hat, exposing a receding hairline. He held out his hand.

"Mr. Oliver, I'm Captain William Mitchell. Bill, if you'd like. Everyone inside this facility reports to me. So you can believe me when I tell you you're safe."

Tommy looked back at Dana as Captain Mitchell told him what he already knew.

"More importantly, I'm Dana's father. And as a father, I need to thank you for what you did at Baldwin during the invasion. You saved my daughter's life. You saved a lot of lives."

He nodded his "Your welcome" at Mitchell. "Dana mentioned her dad had a government job. This wasn't what I pictured."

Looking mildly amused, Mitchell gestured to the table. "I know what you mean. Please sit."

Without much of a choice, Tommy walked around the table and sat facing the view screen, with Mitchell across from him. The older man dropped a leather-bound folder on to the table between them.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me where we are," Tommy pushed.

"You're in an underwater base off the coast of Mariner Bay," Mitchell replied, flatly.

Mariner Bay. That meant they'd teleported across the United States.

"Underwater base?" he repeated. "How far under water?"

"Far enough that you wouldn't want to swim to the surface," Mitchell said with the hint of a smile. "I apologize for the way we brought you here, Mr. Oliver. But we thought it would be best that you see some of this firsthand. The best way I could think to do that was to have Dana bring you in the way she did. You certainly deserve more respect, given all you've done for the world."

Tommy felt the back of his neck heat up. He shot Dana a look.

Dana answered his accusation without him even having to voice it. Tommy, I swear! I didn't tell anyone! He already knew!"

"It's true," Mitchell said. "I knew. I asked Dana for her help."

Tommy started adding things up in his head. Whether Dana had told him or not, her father worked for the government. Now he'd brought Tommy against his will to an "underwater base."

"What is it you think you know?" Tommy asked, forcibly keeping a calm exterior. Maybe it was foolish to be allusive about this. But until he had a better idea what Mitchell knew, and who _else_ knew what he knew…

Mitchell folded his hands. "Mr. Oliver, I'm part of a small secret intelligence service that was formed shortly after the events of August 28, 1993."

August 28, 1993. That was the day Rita's forces attacked Earth for the first time.

"One of the purposes of this service was to learn about the Power Rangers. What they could do. Where they came from. Who they were. I'm fairly limited in terms of what I can divulge to you, Mr. Oliver. But for a time, your name was on a list. You were a person of interest. Someone whose voice, body language, and athletic ability seemed to match those of a Power Ranger."

Tommy shifted in his seat.

"But our priorities would eventually change," Mitchell continued. "Someone reached out to us. Reached out to the president, in fact. Someone I think you knew fairly well. Zordon."

When he said Zordon's name, Tommy almost flinched. Zordon had never talked about being in contact with any kind of government agency or organization. Though Andros had mentioned something about a contact at NASADA.

"You knew Zordon?"

Mitchell shook his head. "Actually, no. I truly wish I had. But only a select few ever had access to him. But he was always spoken of in very high regard. So much so, that orders came down to deemphasize our search for the Rangers' true identities, and instead focus more on extraterrestrial intelligence, defense research, and applied science."

Tommy resisted the urge to ask Mitchell to slow down.

"But after the invasion, witness accounts from the Baldwin incident started coming in, and many of them involved someone of your description single-handedly engaging the invaders. I remembered your name from our old intel. From there, it was simple to connect a few dots."

"Who else knows?"

"No one," Mitchell replied. "I conducted this little investigation myself, especially once I realized Dana was involved."

"So no one else knows?" Tommy replied, obvious with his skepticism. "No one at all?"

Mitchell's voice took on a grave tone. "Mr. Oliver, if any one of my peers knew you were here, or that I acted without authorization, I would go to prison for a very, very long time."

"So why risk it?" he asked. "Why did you bring me here?"

The older man swiveled around slightly, and pointed a small remote at the view screen behind him. With the click of a button, muted footage began to play. Tommy was more than familiar with it at this point. It was TJ, Ashley, and the others on that rooftop."

"Mr. Oliver, the world just endured it's first full-scale invasion by extraterrestrial forces," Mitchell proclaimed. "As I understand it, the only reason we won is because Zordon pulled a hidden trump card. One that cost him his life."

Tommy nodded. Andros had obviously shared that story with whoever had questioned the Space Rangers after the invasion.

"That's unacceptable," Mitchell said. "Zordon may have saved us. But dark forces are still at work on this planet."

He thought he saw Mitchell steal a glance at his daughter. "We've-, I've seen them myself. They've hurt innocent people. Torn families apart. When they strike again, we need to be ready. The era of the Power Rangers protecting a virtually defenseless human race? It has to end now."

Tommy looked back and forth between father and daughter. "What exactly are you talking about here?"

"Again, I'm limited in what I can share," Mitchell answered. "At least at this point. But we've been building something for awhile now. Quite literally, as you can see. An operation designed to not only strike back at those who would harm us, but protect the innocents in harm's way. Recent events, along with a critical breakthrough from one of our researchers, have led to a new directive from on high: Full speed ahead."

Mitchell leaned forward.

"Mr. Oliver, I think you could play a critical role in this operation."

Tommy shook his head. All this was still coming at him so fast. "I'm sorry, but I still don't understand what you're getting at."

Mitchell slid Tommy the leather folder in the center of the table. Looking closer, he saw the circular blue and gold insignia stitched into the front. It matched the one on the shoulder of Mitchell's uniform.

When he opened it, a full-body image of a Red Power Ranger stared up at him. A new one, with a visor that covered the front of its helmet, a red and white design on the torso, and that same insignia on its belt.

Tommy looked up. "Wait, you mean you…?"

Mitchell nodded, a hint of excitement escaping through his expression. "Yes. Our lead researcher cracked the equation several months ago. We now have access to the Morphing Grid."

Stunned, Tommy leaned back in his chair. Not even Billy had been able to access the grid independently, without Zordon and Alpha's help. Granted, this "lead researcher" likely had different resources, or even a whole team of minds at their disposal. But that didn't diminish the accomplishment.

It wasn't just a Red Ranger either. There were four more. Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow. He saw accompanying schematics for for morphers, blasters, even zords.

"You're putting a team together," Tommy said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. You're the obvious, and I think ideal candidate to lead it, Mr. Oliver," Mitchell said. "Not just because of your skills and experience. But because of Zordon."

"What does Zordon have to do with this?" The question seemed almost foolish, given the subject matter. But Tommy had finally come to terms with the fact that Zordon was gone. Why did Mitchell keep bringing him into this?

Standing up, Mitchell began walking around the table. "Here's a bit of trivia for you: Nuclear fission was discovered in December of 1938. It took less than a decade for the human race to use its first atom bomb and kill more than 100,000 people. Human beings…don't always handle power responsibly."

He turned to face Mitchell as the other man pulled up the seat next to him.

"Now take into account the Morphing Grid this is a power we don't know how to use. A power that, if used for the wrong reasons, could be _more_ devastating than an atomic bomb."

A chill went up Tommy's back. Now he understood.

"You, Zordon, and the others, you used that power for the betterment of mankind," Mitchell continued, speaking with an honesty, and yet a warmth, that ironically reminded him of Zordon. "You protected us when we couldn't protect ourselves. We have an opportunity here to continue that legacy. Teach us. Show us how the grid works. Show us what it can do. Teach us what Zordon taught you."

Tommy found that words were failing him.


	15. Chapter 15

_**January 16, 1999  
70 Days after the invasion. **_

"Take the night," Captain Mitchell had said. "Think about it."

He'd seemed taken aback. Like he'd expected Tommy to say yes immediately. Frankly, Tommy was surprised too. Mitchell was offering him something he'd wanted for a long time. But simply put, he'd been dumbstruck.

He and Dana had arranged to meet again at 4 p.m. today, after his last class let out. (Their little meeting had caused him to miss his first class of the semester.) They'd teleport back to what Mitchell had called the "aquabase," where Tommy would tell him his decision.

But what was there to think about? This was it. His destiny. What he'd been born to do. Of course he was going to take up the power again. It was just a matter of making it official.

Tommy hadn't slept much last night. So getting up early for a work out wasn't a big deal. If he was going to be a Ranger again, he'd up his training regimen. Maybe even put a program together for new recruits. If there was even a need for new recruits. He'd done plenty of thinking about Jason, Adam, Tanya, and the others.

Mitchell hadn't told Tommy he'd be in charge of this whole Ranger operation. But it was certainly implied that he'd have a big role in shaping it. So if the other Rangers wanted to come back…

Pulling into the parking lot at the rec center, Tommy put his truck in park, turned the key, and drifted back against the he headrest. A sigh rushed from his chest.

This was going to be a lot.

He pulled his bag off the passengers seat. He was halfway to the front door when he stopped and rolled his eyes. He hadn't picked a weapon to practice with. What had he even wanted to do today? Nunchucks? Bo staff? Shinai? He actually contemplated driving back to the hotel before deciding he'd adapt his workout on the fly.

Pushed through the door and heading down the stairs, Tommy's mind drifted back to his days teaching karate at the youth center. While he'd certainly been part of the learning process for other Rangers, he'd never formally "trained" someone. Much less taught someone how to use the Morphing Grid itself. This would stretch beyond a simple training program. He'd have to develop his own curriculum. The thought was exhausting. Though admittedly, it wasn't without a certain appeal. When he'd worked with students in Angel Grove-

"Hey! Batman!"

Abby's voice sent every other thought rushing from Tommy's mind. His cheeks felt flushed. She looked perfect as ever. Perfect in her own special Abby way, in her at-least-one-size-too-big blue t-shirt and black headband. She was standing up behind the desk.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Got worried when you didn't open up with me this morning!"

Tommy felt a surge of something wonderful. She missed him? "Yeah, they've got me up at the hotel for another couple weeks. So I've got to drive."

"Lame," she replied, coming around the desk. "So what happened with you? With the attack, I mean. I actually heard a few stories."

His eyebrows went up a bit. "Stories?"

She nodded, her hands on her hips. "Yeah. I got off campus with my roommates. But somebody down the hall from us talked about seeing this guy with long hair, swinging a stick or something. And I'm like, 'You know, that kinda sounds like a guy I know!"

"I'm actually really flattered you thought of me," Tommy said, feeing a fluttering in his belly.

"So wait, was it you?!"

" _Yeah. That was me. I almost died, actually."_

"I did what I could to help," he said. "But it was a really bad situation. Anybody trying to do something like that by themselves would have been killed eventually."

Strictly speaking, that was true. If Luke, Dana, and Percy hadn't been there, Tommy wouldn't have survived. Batarax and Power Driller would have killed him.

"I'm glad you made it out, though," Tommy continued. "I'll be honest, I was thinking about you."

"Who, me?" Abby teased.

"Yeah. Hoping you were okay, I mean."

"Well, that's really sweet of you, Batman. Hero or not, I'm really glad to see you."

A second passed, then the words simply tumbled from his mouth.

"Hey listen, now that the new semester has started- I mean, I see you here almost every morning. It might be nice to…y'know, see you outside the gym a little more?"

"Outside, huh?" Abby replied, coyly. "Like out in the parking lot?"

Tommy felt rejection creeping up. "I was just, uh, I mean-"

Abby touched his forearm.

"Kidding, Batman. Kidding."

Tommy hadn't meant to start this. But he couldn't stop now. Either way, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"I thought maybe you'd want to hang out at Gumbee's. On Friday?"

"Ooo. You know, my parents are actually coming into town this Friday. They're helping us move something into our dorm room."

Tommy's heart almost hit the floor.

"Ah okay," he replied. "That's cool. Well, if you're-"

"But I'm free tonight," Abby said with a grin.

It was the same conference room with the view screen. Tommy was in the same seat he had the day before. Both Mitchells, oddly enough, were wearing virtually the same clothes. Dana's pink shirt and blouse must have been a pseudo uniform. She'd ditched the fishnets today, though.

"I can't," Tommy said.

Mitchell looked confused. Dana wasn't as subdued, her eyes widening.

"Really," was all Mitchell said.

Tommy looked up at him. "I can't be a Ranger again."

As he'd been the previous day, Mitchell was tough to read. Though Tommy assumed he was pivoting on the fly.

"I have to be honest, Mr. Oliver," he said. "I'm surprised."

"Me too, actually," Tommy answered, bemused. "I'm sorry. I don't know if this puts you in a weird position here."

"Tommy, why?" Dana cut in before her father could answer. "Think about how many lives you saved at Baldwin! Think about how many other lives you could save! The world needs you!"

"Dana, that's enough," Mitchell stopped her.

Tommy had made up his mind early that afternoon. Since then, he'd been trying to piece together what he would say to Mitchell. It hadn't been as difficult as he thought.

He understood now. Or at least, he was beginning to understand.

Dimitria.

" _As each Ranger reaches your stage of life, it becomes our duty to set them free, to discover all that the world has to offer them."_

"Captain Mitchell," Tommy began. "Being a Power Ranger was the most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my life. I loved it. I really did. And who knows? Someday, maybe I'll do it again. But…I can't be a Power Ranger now."

Zordon.

" _With few exceptions, the power isn't meant to be held by one individual for such a prolonged period of time. It is meant to be passed on. The responsibility shared."_

"It took me a long time to come to grips with not being a Power Ranger anymore," Tommy continued. "In some ways, I think I'm still coming to grips with it. And that's one of the reasons I have to step away from it."

He made eye contact with Mitchell. "The power is a gift and an honor. But power also corrupts. And like you said, human beings…we don't always handle power responsibly."

Abby.

" _Hero or not, I'm really glad to see you."_

"I have to be more than just a Power Ranger. I need to learn a little more about who Tommy is."

Percy.

" _What are you supposed to do? I think the answer is, anything you want!"_

"And with some help from my friends, I've been learning a lot."

Dana gave a little smile.

"So while I appreciate your offer Captain, I'm afraid I can't. Not now, at least."

Mitchell seemed to mull over Tommy's words. There was a quiet in the room that grew unsettling the longer it lasted.

"That's quite the speech, Mr. Oliver," Mitchell finally replied. "And I…can respect that. It's easy to forget how young you are." He took his daughter's hand. "How young you both are."

Mitchell straightened a bit. "While you won't be helping us, Mr. Oliver, I hope we can count on you for certain discretions."

Tommy nodded. "Yes Captain. Your secret is safe with me. And I hope mine is with you."

Mitchell stuck his hand across the table.

"But I never said I wouldn't be helping you."

Mitchell frowned. "You've lost me, Mr. Oliver."

The folder Mitchell had shown him, the one with the photos and schematics in it, was on the table. Tommy picked it up and opened it. The Red Ranger was staring up at him again.

"I think I've been the Red Ranger enough times," he said. "But passing the power on to someone else doesn't mean I can't help where I'm needed."

A smile of realization spread across Mitchell's face.

"I get the sense I can trust you, Captain. So if you really are putting a team together, I've got some idea on how you can create something Zordon would be proud of. And I know a few others who might have ideas as well. But I have three conditions. Three rules."

"Name them," Mitchell replied. If he was hesitant at all, he wasn't showing it.

"One: Everything I do is unofficial. If at all possible, my name stays out of any and all records."

"The teleportation logs from yesterday have been wiped," Mitchell said. "Today's logs will be wiped as well. It's not altogether above-board. But I can make it work.

"Two: We keep the group small. At least at first. You, me, and maybe a few other people."

Dana leaned in. "I'll consider myself invited."

"Three: I want to be kept in the loop on anything involving former Rangers. Especially if there's an effort to learn their identities again."

"That's a little tougher," Mitchell said after considering it for a moment. "Sometimes I don't know if even I'm in the loop, fully. But I understand where you're coming from. I'll do whatever I can to make sure your friends stay safe."

"Yes," Tommy replied, emphatically. "They have."

Once again, Mitchell stuck his hand out.

"Do we have a deal then, Mr. Oliver?"

Feeling Dana's eyes on him, Tommy mentally reviewed everything Mitchell had said.

He took it.

"Call me Tommy."

END

Soundtrack:  
Jeremy Sweet - "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue"


End file.
